Kachels voor Oekraïne: Rotterdam aid action in Kharkiv and Kyiv

ROTTERDAM, 3 February 2026 – Rotterdam journalist Sander de Kramer is in Ukraine delivering stoves and warm sheltersuits to people hit hardest by winter and the war. His campaign Stoves for Ukraine (Kachels voor Oekraïne) has already brought 32 trucks’ worth of supplies to vulnerable residents, with a 33rd truck on the way.

He is working in conditions that drop to around -24°C, at a time when Russian attacks on the electricity grid have left many people without power and heat. The stoves and sheltersuits are being distributed to older people, people with disabilities, and war victims living in damaged homes.

Kharkiv deliveries under air raid sirens

De Kramer is currently in Kharkiv, where nights have included rocket and drone attacks. “Almost the entire night, the air raid siren sounded, often followed by a huge explosion. People in cities like Kharkiv and Kyiv live in permanent fear.”

He says the work is intense, but focused on direct help: getting warmth and basic supplies to people who cannot simply leave, and doing it while the situation on the ground remains unpredictable.

Kyiv’s mayor asks for sheltersuits

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko contacted De Kramer to thank him, after which they met and De Kramer showed him the sheltersuits. “We had coffee and I showed Vitali the sheltersuits. I explained that it’s a wonderfully warm sleeping bag and a piece of clothing at the same time. He was immediately so enthusiastic that he wanted to hand out hundreds to the most vulnerable people in Kyiv.”

“A few hours later we were handing out sheltersuits to shivering seniors and people with disabilities. They started spontaneously hugging us.”

A family in a bombed home

De Kramer describes visiting a woman named Julia and her 9-year-old daughter Masha after their home had been hit. “The house was just bombed. Father had been killed in it. Julia and Masha lived in an ice-cold house full of holes. Not a single window was intact.”

“When I walked in, I felt very humble. I ‘only’ had a stove and food parcels with me. But Julia fell into my arms crying. She said: ‘Do you know how much it means to us that you came all the way from the Netherlands and put your own life at risk to help us?’ We were both sniffling.”

Frontline towns and people who cannot flee

He also describes distribution near the frontline, where the question of “why don’t people leave?” quickly turns into a reality check. “Until I walked into the 72-year-old Tanya in Kherson. She had only one leg and simply could not flee.”

“She was sitting in her own urine, because all the shops are closed. It was heartbreaking. It gave so much fulfilment to be able to help her.”

Donations, partners and stoves made in prisons

De Kramer says thousands of people in the Netherlands donated after hearing that “for 70 euros you can help a family in war”. He also highlights contributions from Dutch prisons, where detainees in several facilities made stoves for Ukraine.

He credits stove producer Gimeg and the Sheltersuit Foundation for supplying stoves and sheltersuits at cost price, allowing the campaign to reach more people.

Danger on the route and a cat named ‘Klytsjko’

The trip has not been without risk. “In Kherson we literally had to dive away from rockets. You know that every minute could be your last. Currently we are in Kharkiv. Also in that city, there is heavy fighting.”

Amid the air raids, he says a young cat followed him into a shelter during an alert, and he ended up adopting it. “I call her Klytsjko. She literally sleeps on my pillow.”

School lessons underground

In Kharkiv, De Kramer also visited a school operating in a shelter, deep underground, because of the ongoing threat from rocket attacks. He says many of the children are traumatised and are receiving extra psychological support.

Where to follow and learn more

De Kramer is a journalist, writer and presenter from Rotterdam, and founder of the Sunday Foundation. More information is available via his website: https://sanderdekramer.nl/