Russia’s incursions into eastern Ukraine have escalated in recent days, prompting a top Ukrainian official to call for a state of emergency and the U.S. and other countries to enact sanctions.

       The urgency of the situation isn’t new to organizations in California and elsewhere that have been helping Ukrainians affected by fighting that dates to Russia’s 2014 annexation of the Crimean peninsula and other territorial moves.

       Eliza Gorham Shaw, a spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross, said that in eastern Ukraine, the Red Cross sees a “low intensity conflict with regular bouts of violence that has claimed the lives of many people, destroyed homes and kept whole families separated.”

       Red Cross teams have witnessed how this has affected people daily — on personal, psychological and emotional levels, Shaw said.

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       “It also hits every aspect of efforts to keep going with the most basic, mundane, routine tasks. Damage to essential infrastructure such as water, gas and power supplies, mostly as a result of explosive weapons, has caused cuts and shortages, with huge knock-on effect for communities far beyond the immediate area of fighting,” she said.

       Closer to home, Ukrainians in California are newly concerned about the safety of their loved ones, many of whom have adapted to living with conflict, said Dmytro Kushneruk, the consul general of Ukraine in San Francisco.

       “In no way are we downplaying the situation, but when you’re in a country that’s in a state of war, psychologically, it’s part of daily life,” Kushneruk said.

       If you’re moved to help, Kushneruk pointed to three organizations in California that continue to help Ukrainians. The Red Cross is also active in Ukraine. Here’s who they are and what they need.

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       Revived Soldiers Ukraine

       What it does: This organization funds medication and medical supplies for field and army hospitals at the front lines of eastern Ukraine. Revived Soldiers Ukraine was founded in 2016 and has since brought 50 wounded Ukrainian soldiers to U.S. hospitals for care.

       How you can help: The organization’s president, Iryna Vashchuk Discipio, said they urgently need monetary donations to buy medication and to repair a car used to rush injured soldiers away from the front lines.

       Nova Ukraine

       What it does: Nova Ukraine has several humanitarian efforts, including Heart2Heart, which assembles and delivers aid packages to Ukraine.

       How you can help: You can donate clothes, shoes, household supplies, personal hygiene products, baby food (with an expiration date of not less than six months from date of purchase), diapers and medicine. Heart2Heart is specifically in need of shoes and clothing for children. They also accept wheelchairs, anti-decubitus pillows and personal hygiene items for wounded soldiers.

       If you’re in the San Francisco Bay Area, volunteers with trucks or vans are needed to take care packages to a delivery company, Meest, in Sacramento for transport to Ukraine.

       Hromada

       What it does: This San Francisco-based organization runs a charity, the Anhelyk Foundation, that supports the children of families whose parents died in the fighting in eastern Ukraine. For the past four years, the foundation has supported these families by sending them $50 per child. It also provides college scholarships.

       How you can help: Monetary donations are accepted through Paypal, on the organization website, or by a check mailed to Hromada, P.O. Box 7026, Corte Madera, CA 94976.

       International Committee of the Red Cross

       What it does: Shaw said the Red Cross’ humanitarian work aims to help people rebuild their lives and cope with the wider consequences of conflict.

       “For example, to help families in the Donbas, the region where fighting is taking place, we helped repair thousands of homes damaged in the conflict, hospitals and primary healthcare facilities, schools and community centers. We provided income-generating and food-producing initiatives and improved learning and safety conditions of schools close to the line of contact,” she said.

       How you can help: A monetary donation can help repair homes or infrastructure such as water pumping stations, and provide mental health and educational services. The Red Cross also provides education about avoiding land mines and unexploded ordnance.

       World & Nation

       Full coverage of the crisis in Ukraine

       Russia’s move into Ukraine is Europe’s biggest security crisis in decades, raising fears of bloodshed and a return to Cold War-era dynamics.