Berlin mayor hails campaign for Ukraine

Berlin mayor Franziska Giffey said: We hope that the war in Ukraine will stop, but we can't see it. In this very hard situation, we have to prepare by giving people what they need, including accommodation. She said that while the city is trying to handle the situation as best as possible, it has drawn clear lines, such as not using sports halls for refugees.

Campaigns by individuals are making a difference, as well as government efforts.

Mr. Sergej Sumlenny, director of the European Resilience Initiative Centre, spent years working with non-governmental organisations in Ukraine.

Seeing the vast needs of the country he once called home, Mr Sumlenny used the pre-Christmas period to raise almost US $14,000 through an online campaign.

He used the money to buy rechargeable power units for people in Ukraine, so that they can be used by civilians to cook a hot meal and keep the lights on, even though the country goes through regular blackouts in the depths of winter.

I have a lot of friends in Ukraine. "I know Ukraine well because I lived there and worked there for six years," Sumlenny said.

He said before he set off on an 18-hour solo train journey from Berlin to Kyiv to personally deliver the devices, he was not worried about swapping the safety of the German capital for a conflict zone.