Alberta is donating over $10 million in aid to Ukraine — including $5 million for non-lethal military equipment.

Premier Jason Kenney announced the funding during a news conference Friday.

He says the $5-million donation to the World Ukrainian Congress's Unite with Ukraine campaign will equip 5,000 members of the territorial defence force with flak jackets, helmets, bulletproof vests, first aid kits, communications equipment and fuel.

"Provincial governments do not have international development programs, but we feel so strongly, in part I think because of the deep historical and human connection between Alberta and Ukraine," he said.

"We are so devastated to see acts of aggression which are reminiscent of the terror unleashed in Europe between 1938 and 1945."

The war in Ukraine raised fresh global alarm Friday after Russian forces attacked a key nuclear plant in the south.

Officials say the fires that ensued have now been extinguished and that no radiation leaks have been detected. Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, spoke with world leaders just after the attack, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Meanwhile, Russia continued other attacks on cities throughout Ukraine overnight.

Kenney announced an additional $5 million for humanitarian aid — which is in addition to a $1-million donation the province made in late February — to be distributed by the Canada Ukraine Foundation.

He said the provincial government will also donate $360,000 to the Ukrainian Canadian Congress — Alberta Provincial Council for its Alberta Stands with Ukraine campaign.

An Alberta academic and longtime Ukraine expert said it makes sense for Albertans to offer support to the country and its citizens, but he's not convinced offering military support is the best way to go about it, given that that's federal jurisdiction.

University of Alberta historian David Marples said Alberta's large population of people with Ukrainian heritage would make it a prime place for welcoming an influx of Ukrainian refugees, and thinks Alberta universities could help by sponsoring displaced Ukrainian students.

"This would, for me, be a broader way to do it and something the way the province itself could take initiatives separately from the federal government," he said.

The funds announced Friday follow other measures Alberta has taken in recent days in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, including divesting from Russian securities, and having Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis ban new stock of Russian-made liquor.

Kenney said Friday he has also instructed Labour and Immigration Minister Kaycee Madu to accelerate any Ukrainian applications for permanent residency through the Alberta advantage immigration program.