HELPING HAND

£85m raised in two days in UK to help Ukrainians

Queen Elizabeth reportedly gave a "generous donation" to support people fleeing the conflict in Ukraine.

In Summary

•People have been encouraged to continue to donate amid warnings that Ukraine is likely to need help for "months and years".

•The latest total includes £25m from the UK government.


A child stands next to a banner during a protest against Russia's invasion of Ukraine, at Trafalgar Square, in London, Britain March 5, 2022.
A child stands next to a banner during a protest against Russia's invasion of Ukraine, at Trafalgar Square, in London, Britain March 5, 2022.
Image: REUTERS

More than £85m has been raised in the UK to provide help for Ukraine.

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) - which is made up of 15 UK charities including the British Red Cross and Oxfam - thanked everyone who has contributed since the appeal was launched on Thursday.

The committee said "generous donations" have already been made to the appeal by the Queen, the Prince of Wales, and the Duke of Cambridge, as well as thousands of members of the public.

The latest total includes £25m from the UK government.

People have been encouraged to continue to donate, as the DEC has warned that support for Ukraine is likely to be needed for "months and years".

As we've been reporting, anti-war protests have been taking place across the world.

In Bath, in the UK, Olena Shackell says her entire family is sheltering in the city of Kharkiv.

Her 68-year-old father works in a home for disabled children - 50 of whom are trapped in shelters.

“Two of the disabled children are on oxygen masks," she says.

"Four days ago the power was cut off. I'm not sure how those children are going to survive.

"I asked my father to run, to save his life, but he said he would not leave the children or his colleagues."

Fashion and technology. Some of the biggest interests for young people around the world.

But today, young Russians are having their choices and access to them severely restricted, as huge global businesses continue to turn their backs on Russia.

Samsung sells the most popular smartphones in Russia, but when current stocks sell out, there’ll be fewer options to get an upgrade because the company is stopping its shipments.

And Zara, known for its up-to-date and on-trend fashions will be unavailable for fashion conscious Russians as the shutters stay down in its shops and the website closes.

We don’t know how they’ll respond, but the Ukrainian deputy prime minister thinks restricting access to tech will motivate young Russians to object to the invasion.

And as more western retailers close, what reasons are these business owners giving to their Russian employees about their reasons for closing?


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