(Reuters) – Companies across Europe and United States have begun offering aid to Ukrainian authorities and people fleeing war following Russia’s invasion, as hundreds of thousands leave their homes and head to safety in Poland and other neighbouring countries.
The following are some companies which have since offered aid. More are expected to follow in the coming days.
ENERGY
TotalEnergies said on Tuesday it would provide fuel to the Ukrainian authorities and aid to refugees in Europe, but stopped short of joining rivals Shell and BP in planning to exit positions in oil-rich Russia.
INTERNET
More than a dozen telecom providers are either providing free international calls to Ukraine or are scrapping roaming charges there.
Firms who have taken measures include A1 Telekom Austria Group, Altice Portugal, AT&T, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Proximus, Swisscom, Telefonica, Telenor, Telia Company, TIM, KPN, Vivacom and Vodafone.
FOOD
Poland’s largest food retailer Biedronka said it would hire family members of its 1,800 Ukrainian employees, who would each receive a 1,000 zloty ($233) grant. It also pledged to allocate $1.2 million to deliver basic food, hygiene and cleaning products to refugees.
The supermarket chain, owned by Portugal’s Jeronimo Martins, also said on Tuesday it would withdraw products made in Russia and Belarus, including Beluga and Russian Standard vodka.
ACCOMMODATION
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said on Monday the rental firm was working with its hosts to house up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees for free.
Polish hotel chain Arche Hotels said on Saturday it had already lodged 1,000 refugees as it prepares to accommodate 5,000, while its establishment in Lublin, 100 km (62 miles)from the border, collected bedding, clothing, Polish language books and toys for children fleeing Ukraine.
Nordic Choice, one of Scandinavia’s biggest hostel groups, said its Vilnius hotel would provide free accommodation.
HEALTHCARE
Private provider LuxMed said it was providing free medical assistance to people from Ukraine, with doctors and paramedics stationed near the border, along with Swedish Medicover which said it had launched a Ukrainian-language helpline.
Gdansk-based womens’ health clinic Nivique offered free gynaecological services to female refugees.
TRAINS
Polish PKP Intercity said on Saturday its trains would carry Ukrainian citizens for free from the border, while Deutsche Bahn is offering Ukrainian passport or ID-card holders free travel on its long-distance trains from Poland to Germany.
BUSES
Flixbus said it had given out 1,000 free tickets in the first 15 hours since it began offering the service on Sunday, and that it would send 40 buses free-of-charge to the Ukrainian-Polish border with routes from Przemysl, near the main border crossing of Medyka.
CARS
Panek CarSharing, which rents passenger cars and delivery vans across Poland, said on Friday it was allocating 1,000 cars for transport to the border with Ukraine, and invited volunteers without cars to volunteer to help.
Bolt told Reuters on Tuesday it would donate 5% of the income of its ride-hailing, grocery delivery and other businesses in Europe over the next two weeks to humanitarian aid. The Estonian firm also pledged to pay to relocate 100 employees based in Ukraine if they should choose.
LOGISTICS
Trans.EU on Sunday pledged nearly $500,000 for aid for Ukrainians and said it was organising a network carriers to bring supplies from Western Europe to Ukraine.
The CEO of Polish parcel locker firm InPost said it would use parts of its fleet and drivers to transport aid packages collected by Polish communities to Ukraine.
($1 = 4.2888 zlotys)
(Reporting by Sarah Morland, Marie Mannes, Marta Frackowiak and Federica Mileo, Editing by William Maclean)
