The trip focused on institutional meetings with Ukrainian authorities and medical and psychosocial assistance initiatives for children and veterans

Rome, 16 September 2025 – Two days of institutional meetings and visits to humanitarian projects in the field marked the start of the trip to Ukraine by the Grand Hospitaller of the Order of Malta, Josef D. Blotz, who arrived yesterday in Kyiv to reaffirm the Order’s commitment through numerous medical, social and psychological assistance initiatives dedicated to both the affected population in Ukraine and refugees in neighbouring countries.

This morning, the Grand Hospitaller met with Msgr. Vitalii Kryvytskyi, Bishop of Kyiv-Zhytomir, emphasising the value of collaboration with the local Church in assisting the population. Thereafter, Blotz was in talks with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Olexandr Mischenko in Kyiv, to whom he reiterated the Order of Malta’s commitment and closeness to the Ukrainians, especially in caring for the human dimension, which is at the heart of the challenges linked to the country’s recovery.

After the talks, the Grand Hospitaller visited the Vorzel Children and Family Centre, where the Order of Malta’s Embassy in Ukraine supports several humanitarian projects focused on orphans and abandoned children in the Kyiv region. He then went to the Borodyanka Neuropsychological Institute, a Ukrainian rehabilitation centre heavily damaged during the conflict and rebuilt also with the support of the Order of Malta.

Yesterday was marked by a meeting with the Deputy Minister of Social Policy, Family and Unity, Inna Solodka, with whom the Grand Hospitaller discussed the needs of the most vulnerable groups such as children and internally displaced people. This was followed by a visit to the Order of Malta’s mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) programme for amputee veterans at the Feofaniya Hospital in the capital.

In the coming days, the Grand Hospitaller will visit two projects dedicated to children affected by the war: the Mobile Play Space – Spielmobil in Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk, which has already helped over 36,000 children, and the Svitlytsia of Saint Nicholas in Ivano-Frankivsk, a centre for the development and support of young children through courses and workshops. Also in Lviv, Blotz will visit the Charity Kitchen of the Malteser Relief Service of Ukraine, which since its opening has distributed millions of hot meals to people in need, and the Halychyna Rehabilitation Centre, where the Order supports a project providing social, psychological, medical and financial support to people who have undergone amputations.

 

The Order of Malta’s commitment in Ukraine

Having been on the ground in Ukraine for more than 30 years, since February 2022 the Order has additionally been working with all its Associations, relief corps, and around 1,000 volunteers (both foreign and Ukrainian) to provide medical, social and psychological assistance, as well as safe shelter for the displaced in Ukraine and neighbouring countries, supporting around 4 million people. More than 10,000 tonnes of aid have been distributed in over 70 different locations; 300,000 people have been assisted at borders and over 60 shelters have been set up to accommodate the displaced. As well, in 2022 the Order contributed to the opening of a prosthetic clinic in Lviv to help victims of landmine explosions. To date, over 250 prosthetics have been provided.

With over 80 million euros mobilised, the Order of Malta’s commitment in Ukraine is the largest since its intervention in World War II. The Order of Malta’s entities in Germany, Austria, Italy, France, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia have also been actively involved in refugee assistance projects.

The Order of Malta Emergency Relief fund is to assist in times of crisis, including refugee support and emergency relief to those impacted by disaster or conflict.

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