As Ukraine enters the fifth year of the full-scale war, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU) continues to serve as the country’s primary national first responder for civil protection and emergency management. SESU leads search-and-rescue operations, firefighting, evacuation support, debris clearance, and the stabilization of critical infrastructure following missile and drone strikes, industrial accidents, and other conflict-related emergencies. The Service also coordinates humanitarian demining activities, mitigates environmental and technological risks, and supports the rapid restoration of essential services in affected communities.

SESU operates a nationwide network of regional units and specialized rescue formations that are regularly deployed to high-risk and frontline areas, often working under severe security and operational constraints. The scale and frequency of emergency incidents place sustained pressure on SESU’s logistics systems, equipment availability, and personnel capacity. Strengthening SESU’s ability to respond safely, rapidly, and effectively therefore remains essential to protecting civilians, reducing secondary risks, and supporting recovery and continuity of services across the country.

Civilian population in need of rescue, evacuation and civil protection services, particularly those affected by conflict-related emergencies and damage to critical infrastructure.

Environmental and community protection through safer response to technological, industrial and environmental incidents, including debris clearance, hazardous events and contamination risks.

1. SESU’s emergency response operations are strengthened through the provision of specialized equipment, materials and technical support that improve the effectiveness and timeliness of rescue and recovery activities in affected areas.
2. The institutional and operational capacities of approximately 4–6 regional SESU units and specialized formations are strengthened — including mobile rescue centres — through targeted equipment and training, with priority to frontline and severely affected regions.
3. SESU’s logistical capacities are enhanced, including the further development and equipping of logistics infrastructure — in particular the hub in Vyshneve — to ensure efficient storage, maintenance and distribution of equipment and assistance.

Erwartete Resultate:  

• SESU’s emergency response capacities are reinforced through the delivery of specialised equipment, machinery, materials and technical support that enable faster and safer rescue, firefighting, evacuation and recovery operations in affected areas;
• Regional SESU units and specialised formations — including mobile rescue centers — are strengthened through targeted equipment, training and operational support, with a priority focus on frontline and severely affected regions;
• SESU’s logistical capacities are enhanced, including the further development, equipping and functional strengthening of logistics infrastructure — in particular the logistical hub in Vyshneve — ensuring efficient storage, maintenance and timely distribution of equipment and assistance.

Resultate von früheren Phasen:  

Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Switzerland has progressively developed its cooperation with the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU) in response to evolving operational needs.

In 2022–2023, support was initiated in a rapid and flexible manner, without a dedicated Credit Proposal, enabling Switzerland to respond to urgent, life-saving needs through the provision of essential equipment and targeted capacity support. This initial engagement established a trusted operational partnership and demonstrated the relevance of direct support to Ukraine’s national first responder.

In 2024, this cooperation was formalised through a dedicated Credit Proposal, constituting the first phase of Swiss direct support to SESU. The intervention introduced a more structured approach, focusing on priority areas such as firefighting, engineering support, winterization, and the development of SESU’s logistics capacities, including the preparation of a logistics hub in Kyiv Oblast.

In 2025, support was integrated into the broader Flexible Humanitarian Assistance framework, ensuring continuity while maintaining a high degree of flexibility to address urgent, field-based needs.

Building on this progressive engagement — from rapid initial support, to a structured first phase, and flexible implementation — and considering the sustained demands on SESU, Switzerland foresees a second dedicated phase for 2026–2027. This phase will consolidate previous achievements and provide a more strategic and flexible framework to further strengthen SESU’s capacities at national level.