The Football Association of Moldova is among the national governing bodies to pledge its support to Ukraine ©Football Association of Moldova

The European Club Association (ECA) is inviting members to apply for a contribution of €1 million (£840,000/$1.1 million) to help Ukrainians impacted by the ongoing war.

UEFA confirmed that ECA clubs can apply for a donation of between €25,000 (£21,000/$26,000) and €50,000 (£43,000/$52,000).

It is hoped the money will support clubs’ efforts with humanitarian initiatives to assist Ukrainians who continue to be affected by Russia’s military assault on the country.

UEFA claimed the schemes were providing "real and effective humanitarian and emergency actions" to support the integration of "displaced children and their families affected by the war."

ECA is partnering with the UEFA Foundation for Children in order to implement the Ukrainian relief fund.

According to UEFA, many ECA members from regions with a high influx of refugees have already "invested quite some resources into various projects."

All applications are expected to be assessed by the newly-created ECA Ukrainian Relief Committee and the UEFA Foundation.

The UEFA Foundation for Children has joined forces with ECA to support Ukraine which remains under attack by Russian forces ©Getty Images
The UEFA Foundation for Children has joined forces with ECA to support Ukraine which remains under attack by Russian forces ©Getty Images

Once this process has been completed, the ECA is due to provide financial contributions to the UEFA Foundation who will be responsible for the allocation of the donations to fund the charitable projects undertaken by the clubs.

The Ukrainian relief fund was launched at the ECA General Assembly in Vienna in Austria in March where members pledged an initial €1 million towards relief efforts in Ukraine.

"This generous support from the ECA confirms football's solidarity with the victims of the war in Ukraine," said Urs Kluser, general secretary at the UEFA Foundation for Children.

"It is a great help to the clubs that have selflessly and directly taken in families with children or supported them through football activities over the last three months."

Russia launched a military offensive on Ukraine on February 24, a move which received widespread international condemnation.

Both Russia and its ally Belarus have largely been frozen out of international sport.

Russian national teams and clubs have been banned from taking part in all UEFA and FIFA competitions.

According to the United Nations, at least 4,509 citizens have been killed since the launch of what Moscow describes as a "special military operation", and more than 7.7 million people have been forced to flee Ukraine.