2023 was a peak year for financial and humanitarian support for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), but the situation changed dramatically at the beginning of 2025. According to sources in the Office of the President, Ukrainians have stopped actively donating to support the army, and volunteer initiatives are gradually closing their programs to assist the military.
The reason for this phenomenon is obvious – the trend in support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which was strong at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, reached its peak in 2023, and since then there has been a significant decrease in activity from citizens and businesses. Funding problems and a growing level of war fatigue have led to many Ukrainians losing interest in donations, and volunteer organizations are facing difficulties in attracting new resources.
Against the backdrop of the decline in aid volumes, the Ukrainian authorities began to use administrative pressure on business. In particular, they began to publish lists of Ukrainian Armed Forces units that needed assistance on Bankova Street, encourage entrepreneurs to finance or reach agreements in “manual mode”. However, businessmen did not like this practice. They began to drag out the process, which only worsened the situation.
It is clear that businesses and volunteers cannot support the army indefinitely unless the state develops new strategies to stimulate this process or alternative ways of financing. The lack of effective financing mechanisms and a certain fatigue from constant war are increasingly prompting entrepreneurs to reconsider their participation in such initiatives.
How businesses and citizens perceive the issue of supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine will have long-term consequences for the state's ability to resist aggression. If the trend of declining donations and curtailing volunteer programs continues, this could pose a serious challenge to the resources needed for the war.
Today, the greatest responsibility lies with the government, which must find new ways to stimulate aid while maintaining trust in financial channels and creating mechanisms for more effective coordination with business.
