Supporting Ukrainians on the Frontlines
We surge support to frontline communities where relatively small interventions can make a disproportionate impact on the ground. Whenever possible, we source this aid inside Ukraine, strengthening the local economy during wartime. While the Ukrainian military fights on the battlefield, we ensure that those who live nearby are able to keep their communities alive.
Every dollar is directed toward a simple goal:
helping Ukrainians stay where they belong — in Ukraine.
Strategy & impact
RDI is uniquely positioned to deliver aid where it matters most.
Our leadership and partners bring deep regional knowledge and long-standing relationships in Ukraine.
We carefully vet every partner organization and focus on targeted grants that minimize waste and deliver maximum impact for Ukrainian communities.
Direct support helping families and frontline communities remain in their homes.
- 31,500 servings of hot meals
- 330,829 meals ready-to-eat (MRE’s) delivered
Critical equipment and supplies supporting hospitals, medics, and emergency responders.
- 3,772 protective vests for first responders and children
- $1.3M in Medical supplies (First-aid kits, intra-bone injectors, hypodermic needles, bandages, critical medicines)
- 600 surgical / spinal procedure kits
- 290 anti-bedsore mattresses
Equipment helping Ukrainians avoid displacement during harsh winter conditions exacerbated by destroyed infrastructure
- 14 Backup power systems for Kharkiv
- 43,112 sleeping bags distributed
- 8 water filtration units deployed; 2 under development, capable of supporting 300,000 people in total
- 850 portable power stations
- One 2.8 MW mobile boiler for a central Kyiv hospital
$2.5M Invested in supporting American global leadership, Ukrainian civil society, and information resilience during the war.
- Organized a British delegation of Tories to the US, led by former PM Liz Truss in order to make the Conservative case for Ukraine
- Published Making Putin Pay – A report led by Constitutional scholar Larry Tribe setting out the legal framework for confiscation of Russian state assets
- Organized five conferences in Berlin bringing together key German, Polish, Ukrainian, and American leaders
- Facilitated over 120 media appearances and 100 publications
RDI Water Filtration Units in Ukraine
RDI partnered with Rebuild Our Ukraine to deploy eight mobile water filtration units with the capacity to produce 720,000 total liters of drinkable water per day, supporting up to 240,000 people.
At a time when Ukraine’s civil infrastructure is under threat, these mobile units enable Ukrainian communities to stay where they are, preventing thousands of Ukrainians from being displaced.
Shortly after Russia destroyed the Kakhovka Dam in 2023, we were able to almost immediately move two of our units to the south to provide safe drinking water to residents affected by Russia’s eco-terrorism.
“We in Kharkiv live on the literal frontlines of freedom—just miles from the Russian border, in the direct line of fire of Putin’s forces. A lot of organizations do noble work helping Ukrainians who have fled to other countries. But RDI takes aid right to the line of contact. They help equip our first responders. They make sure we can stay in our homes and fight. They’re the ones making sure Ukraine is still a viable nation the day after we win the war and that Kharkiv is still the biggest city in eastern Ukraine.”
Ihor Terekhov
Mayor of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city
STORIES
Making Putin Pay
RDI’s report on the legal, practical, and moral case for transferring Russian sovereign assets to Ukraine.
UK Delegation to Congress
RDI organized a delegation of top British Conservative politicians to advocate for aid to Ukraine with Republican members of Congress in terms the GOP can relate to.
RDI Delegation to Ukraine
RDI organized a delegation of prominent American thought leaders to Ukraine resulting in op-eds and interviews across the biggest media platforms including The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and Foreign Affairs. In addition to leading the delegation, RDI’s CEO, Uriel Epshtein visited our grantees in Kharkiv, a key community directly on the frontlines.
Domestic Advocacy Campaign
In 2023, RDI launched a campaign to increase public support for Ukraine among key groups in the mid-Atlantic region. The campaign amplified messages from our Ukrainian partners and ensured that they broke through the noise among an audience that prioritizes foreign policy. The campaign resulted in over 20 million impressions, both online and in-person.