Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the international community has sent nearly $11 billion in humanitarian aid, with billions more from individuals, charities, and Ukrainians. The UN recently announced a new $3.3 billion appeal for 2025. Yet, despite this support, key players in humanitarian aid — state donors, UN agencies, and International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) — have missed a crucial chance to reform a broken, top-heavy system. This failure is especially co