Visit to Kyiv and Humanitarian Assistance to Ukraine
Last week, representatives of the Fire and Rescue Department under the Ministry of Lithuania (the Department) visited Kyiv, Ukraine, at the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania, to attend the inaugural event of the Ukrainian Civil Protection Shelter Coalition. During the visit, the Lithuanian delegation also visited the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, an institution responsible for firefighting and rescue operations. The Department was represented by Director of the Department Renatas Požėla and Deputy Chief of Vilnius Fire and Rescue Board of the Department Erikas Žalalis.
This is a new international initiative aimed at protecting residents from daily missile and drone attacks by strengthening Ukraine’s civil protection infrastructure. The Coalition aims to help Ukraine establish a modern, nationwide civil protection network, with a particular focus on communities closest to the front line.
During the meeting, representatives from Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Lithuania, Sweden and Ukraine signed the Memorandum of Understanding for the Shelters for Ukraine Coalition.
The Coalition’s activities are based on Ukraine’s civil protection infrastructure development strategy until 2034, which is being implemented by the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs and the State Emergency Service.
The planned shelters will be multi-purpose – on normal days they will serve as educational, healthcare or community spaces, and in times of danger they will become safe premises.
Delegation from the Department also visited the State Emergency Service of Ukraine to meet with the Head of the Service Andrii Danyk and other representatives. During the meeting, they discussed the exchange of experience, presented the equipment being installed in Ukraine, telecommunications solutions and other innovations in situations management.
“Today, Ukraine is not only fighting for its freedom – it is also defending the security of all of Europe. During our visit, we saw how hard their rescuers work, what challenges they face every day and how important the solidarity of our partners is. We must learn from Ukraine’s experience: their ability to respond quickly, adapt to war conditions, and ensure civil protection measures is a lesson for all countries. Fire and Rescue Service of Lithuania will continue to strongly support Ukraine with both humanitarian assistance and expert assistance,” said Renatas Požėla, Director of the Department.
The delegation visited Embassy of Lithuania in Warsaw and Embassy of Lithuania in Kyiv and discussed opportunities for further cooperation in the areas of shelter construction, installation and joint training.
Moreover, on 25–28 November 2025, four trucks transported humanitarian assistance from the Department to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine – foaming agent for firefighting.
Last updated: 03-12-2025
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