ZAGREB, 3 May 2022 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Twitter on Tuesday he had met with the chief executives of several large Croatian companies to discuss ways of helping Ukraine, particularly in supplying medicines and water.

"I met with the presidents of the management boards of the Atlantic Group, Fortenova Group, JGL, PharmaS, Pliva and Podravka regarding further aid to Ukraine, particularly with regard to supplying medicines and water. I will join with my contribution at the donors' conference in Warsaw along with the government and Croatian companies," Plenković tweeted.

A high-level international donors' conference for Ukraine is being held in Warsaw on 5 May.

The initiative aims to provide humanitarian support to Ukraine. 

According to the UN, 13 million people in Ukraine need vital humanitarian aid, including shelter, food and medical supplies.

ZAGREB, 26 April 2022 - The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency TIKA has donated 250 humanitarian Ramadan packages for Sisak Islamic citizens.

TIKA vice-president Rahman Nurdun presented the packages on Tuesday to the president of Sisak's Merhamet charity, Šaban Kadrić. Nurdun commended TIKA's office in Zagreb and its leader Sedef Bulut for its prompt response in the wake of the 2020 earthquake and the wish to help residents of Sisak and Sisak-Moslavina County as much as possible.

"Turkey is one of the first countries to have provided assistance when Sisak and its environs were struck by the devastating earthquake, sending 200 housing containers and a large number of humanitarian packages to this area," Kadrić said, expressing gratitude to Nurdun.

"The diversity of our city enriches every aspect of our lives," Sisak Deputy Mayor Marko Krička said, noting the positive and long-lasting business cooperation and friendship between Sisak and TIKA.

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April 22, 2022 - Croatia 1991 - Ukraine 2022: The Road to Freedom. Meet Vukovar 365, full of compassion. The city that is still recovering over 30 years later knows the pain. Its people have been through hell and back. They would not wish this upon anyone, yet it's happening. Ukrainian people have always been Vukovar's friends, their culture enriching the area that this minority has historically been a part of. Not that we should seek reasons to help, but the people of Vukovar have got plenty and they are always willing to step up.

Hrv reports on a conference that was held in Zagreb, titled "Croatia 1991 - Ukraine 2022: The Road to Freedom", citing Vukovar's hero war reporter Siniša Glavašević who said, "You have to rebuild. First, your past, your present, and then, if you have any strength left, invest it in the future".

As the title suggests, the topic of the conference was the similarities between the ongoing war in Ukraine with the war that Croatia fought in 1991 to gain its independence and freedom. Damir Luka Saftić, representative of the "Za Vukovar" association commented that the pearl of the Danube bled 31 years ago like the Azov Sea's Mariupol is today, saying that "the resemblance is appalling".

The participants of the conference included Vasilj Kirilič, Ambassador of Ukraine to Croatia, Željka Antunović, former Minister of Defense, Yevhen Stepanenko, Ukrainian journalist, Tomislav Marević of the Croatian Civil Protection Directorate, Robert Barić, military analyst, Jakov Sedlar, film director, and Vukovar veterans Damir Poljaković and Tomislav Orešković.

"Croatia has defended its independence and the message for Ukraine is that it can do so too because we are strong in spirit and I believe that we will defend our country. The city of Mariupol is a symbol of defense, as is the Croatian city of Vukovar", said Ambassador Kirilić.

"When you know that your whole family, wife, child, and parents are in the basement, your whole city is in that basement, everyone from your street, friends, your football club, factory, then your strength appears from somewhere and it was either us or them, there was nothing else," said Damir Poljaković, a Vukovar hero who defended the city in 1991 at Trpinjska cesta.

Following the conference, and with Orthodox Easter approaching, the city of Vukovar in partnership with the local Red Cross organised a humanitarian donation action for the Ukrainian refugees in the city. 

A total of 40 refugees from Ukraine are accommodated in Vukovar, writes hrv, which includes 16 families with 18 children. To provide assistance in difficult times, but also to celebrate the upcoming Easter holidays, the City of Vukovar and the Vukovar Red Cross Society provided special food packages for refugees from Ukraine in the Vukovar area, as well as candy packages for the youngest.

The packages were handed over to the Ukrainian people by the Deputy Mayor of Vukovar, Filip Sušac, who emphasized that the City of Vukovar, in cooperation with the Red Cross, is trying to make life easier for refugees. "The city of Vukovar has decided to help Ukrainians who are in the area of ​​our city through a series of measures. In cooperation with the City Museum, the City Library, and sports clubs, we have ensured that all Ukrainian refugees can use their services completely free of charge. The City of Vukovar has called on all fellow citizens to help the refugees as much as they can, and we appeal to the Government of the Republic of Croatia to make Hostel Zagreb available - explained Sušac.

Marija Semenjuk Simeunović, Secretary of the Ukrainian Community of the Republic of Croatia, emphasized that all persons who came from war-torn Ukraine feel welcome in Croatia and thanked everyone for their support.

"Displaced persons who came from Ukraine to our city, county, but also the Republic of Croatia, in general, feel welcome. We have all shown compassion and solidarity in some way, especially since we went through the horrors of war 30 years ago. Through their programs, our Ukrainian associations from the entire Republic of Croatia want to include and integrate the Ukrainian people into our society", said Semenjuk Simeunović.

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ZAGREB, 12 April 2022 - A total of HRK 550,000 (€73,300) has been raised for Ukraine as part of a campaign launched by the special hospital Primamed, a press conference was told in Zagreb on Tuesday.

The campaign was launched at the beginning of this month and the idea was for doctors and nurses working at Primamed to donate 10 per cent of their monthly salaries and the management to donate 10 per cent of revenues generated between 12 and 24 April. In the meantime, it has been joined by about 20 companies.

The donations will be paid into the account opened for this purpose by the Ukrainian Embassy, the hospital's director Gzim Redžepi said.

The presentation of the campaign was attended by Ukrainian Ambassador Vasyl Kyrylych.

ZAGREB, 12 April 2022 - The Caritas charity of the Zagreb Archdiocese dispatched two more trucks full of humanitarian aid to war-torn Ukraine on Tuesday, whereby the total value of aid shipments by the national Caritas organisation exceeded HRK 3 million (€400,000).

The two trucks carried 25 tonnes of food and basic hygiene products to the western Ukrainian city of Mukachevo where the partner organisation, Caritas Spes, has a distribution centre.

A total of 116 tonnes of humanitarian aid, worth over HRK 3 million, has been sent to Ukraine to date, the deputy director of Caritas Croatia, Suzana Borko, said, announcing an additional shipment for Thursday.

"Another truck leaves on Thursday, straight for Kyiv. We hope it gets there on Saturday, the day before Easter," she said.

Borko extended condolences to the families of the Ukrainian Caritas Spes staff killed in a Russian artillery attack on Mariupol on Monday night. Two Caritas Spes workers and five people who found shelter at the local Caritas distribution centre were killed.

ZAGREB, 17 March 2022 - The Croatian Medical Chamber (HLK) said on Thursday that it had launched a humanitarian campaign to raise funds to help the Ukrainian people and doctors.

The HLK is to donate HRK 300,000 as part of the campaign and it calls on its members to help raise funds, which will be used to buy medical products and equipment for Ukrainian doctors and people.

The HLK said that it strongly condemned the Russian aggression on Ukraine and the increasingly frequent attacks on civilian buildings, health institutions and medical workers.

The HLK drive will last until 1 April, and the money raised will be paid into a special fund for medical aid to Ukraine, established by the European Forum of Medical Associations (EFMA), Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME) and World Medical Association (WMA).

The HLK said donations can be made via its bank account IBAN: HR7923400091511179558, poziv na broj 2022; opis uplate "Hrvatski liječnici za Ukrajinu".

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ZAGREB, 10 March 2022 - The city of Lviv in the west of Ukraine is faced with food and drug shortages as well as a shortage of volunteers to help the newly-arrived refugees who mostly lack safety, Croatian Ambassador to Ukraine Anica Djamić told Hina on Thursday.

More than two million people have fled Ukraine since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion on the country two weeks ago.

Djamić said that western Ukraine was faced "with an unprecedented number of refugees". People from the east of the country fleeing daily attacks by Russian forces are trying to reach the west of the country or Lviv as a stop on the way to EU countries, she said.

The ambassador said that everything in Lviv had been put to the service of people in transit to a safer destination, adding that the city's railway station is full of people, notably women, children and the elderly.

The authorities of the Lviv district have set up reception centres where people stay for a shorter or longer period of time, but food, water, medicines and toiletries are in short supply, the ambassador warned pointing also to a shortage of volunteers to distribute aid.

Djamić left Kyiv last week in a UN convoy, and her journey to Lviv, located around 540 kilometres from the Ukrainian capital, lasted four days.

The Croatian ambassador will resume her duties in Lviv.

"We have been in touch with all Croatian nationals in Ukraine whom we inform regularly about possibilities of departure for Croatia," she said, adding that some of them did not want to leave Ukraine but that the embassy was keeping channels for them to leave open. 

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ZAGREB, 3 March 2022 - Croatia's government on Thursday decided to send a convoy with HRK 1.8 million worth of goods and equipment to Moldova after the country took in a considerable number of Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion.

Moldova has asked international organizations for help in accommodating the Ukrainian refugees.

Earlier in the day, the head of the Civil Protection Directorate, Damir Trut, announced in an interview with Croatian Radio that Croatia would send a humanitarian aid convoy to Moldova to help it cope with the influx of Ukrainian refugees.

The aid will include tents, beds, and other items for the accommodation of refugees, he said.

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ZAGREB, 1 March 2022 - The Civil Protection Logistics Centre is sending five semi-trailer trucks with humanitarian aid and equipment declared by Ukraine as necessary, Tomislav Marević of the Croatian Civil Protection Directorate said in Jastrebarsko on Tuesday.

The trucks will carry medical equipment for the wounded and the sick, blankets, beds and other necessities.

Marević said there would be more trucks with humanitarian aid for Ukraine.

The five trucks will bring the relief to logistics centres on the Hungarian-Ukrainian border, where "corridors will open for delivery into the interior of the country," he added.

The convoy will be escorted by the Civil Protection Directorate so that it's clear that it's a relief convoy, and the drive is expected to last 24 hours, Marević said.

ZAGREB, 25 Feb 2022 - Croatia's Red Cross (HCK) expresses deep concern due to the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine and, as part of the International Red Cross movement and the Red Crescent, it has put its forces on alert in case it becomes necessary to accept refugees, HCK reported on Friday.

Based on current forecasts, a large wave of refugees can be expected from Ukraine in Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania who will receive aid from national Red Cross associations in those countries. Those associations are part of the Neighbours Help First network, which is currently coordinated by HCK, a press release said.

If refugees will need to be accepted in Croatia, HCK will be ready to provide help. Currently, HCK is identifying possible reception capacities in Croatia.

HCK has activated its search services, which is already in cooperation with the International Red Cross in preparing activities for displaced persons and refugees, and it will assist in identifying persons and connecting families should refugees start arriving in Croatia. 

Having in mind that the population affected by the war conflict is already in need of humanitarian and other aid, HCK is preparing an appeal to help displaced persons and refugees and will promptly release further information in this regard.