January 9th, 2025
66,535 people evacuated from danger to date
85 people evacuated from danger this week
34 trips into deoccupied and frontline territories this week
This week, we want to tell you about a documentary that may be playing in a theater in your city. “Porcelain war” shows the terror of the Russian invasion of Ukraine through the eyes of three artists who continue to create art amidst death and destruction. The film has received many awards and is listed as a frontrunner for an Oscar documentary nomination. Recently several of our US board members attended the film at the invitation of the production team and were moved by the juxtaposition of beauty and horror. Please contact us if you are interested in organizing a fundraising event for UTC at a local screening of Porcelain War.
Stories
Sasha Ushkan from Kherson
We keep track of the number of trips our Ukrainian volunteers take to high-risk areas, but how do you account for someone who permanently lies in the area of danger in order to be closer to the people who need help? One of such person is Sasha Ushkan, who leads Kherson operations for Inna Kampen’s foundation.
In his prior life, Sasha was a competitive dancer, prominent in the nascent Ukrainian breakdancing scene. However, since surviving the occupation of Kherson, he has focused all his energies toward helping fellow Khersonians. Every week we report on the number of homes Sasha and his team have dehumidified and cleaned from infestations of rodents and roaches.
What we fail to convey is the life Sasha and his team lead, which consists of one never ending cycle of helping the people around him. This single minded dedication doesn't quite come across in our reports, so we thought we would highlight the list of tasks Sasha’s team completed last week in addition to conducting an extermination in a massive warehousing space:
Provided hand and leg warmers to the 124th Brigade.
Transported camouflage nets to the 126th Territorial Defense Brigade.
Installed a new dehumidifier.
Wished Khersonians Happy New Year and distributed tasty treats for the holiday.
Visited the wounded in a military hospital and brought them medicine and fruit.
Sent hand warmers, treats, and equipment including Israeli bandages to the 61st Ranger Brigade.
Continued to feed four stray animals living on the city streets.
Brought three canisters of gas to people in the eastern district of Kherson to provide them with the ability to cook food.
Covered up blown out windows in an apartment for an elderly family.
Provided an anti-drone radar system to a military unit.
Details like these don’t usually fit into our weekly reports, but the list above is typical of Sasha’s activities. Many of our other Ukrainian volunteers are similarly dedicated to helping others however they can, in addition to conducting their main volunteer projects.
Last Minute Evacuation from Kup’yans’k Frontline
Darya and fellow volunteer Anton have continued to evacuate civilians from Podoly, Kindrashivka, and Kivsharivka in the Kharkiv Region. The 100 mile round trip took the team 24 hours to make due to ongoing targeted shelling. “It was like a safari,” says Darya. “Constant shelling. It was a total [profanity omitted]”.
On this trip, Darya evacuated four people, despite our pleas that she not take on so much risk. Based on the situation at the front, this was likely the last trip to Podoly, as the Russians are now less than one mile away from the evacuation point and the village is being turned to dust. The trip left Darya in bad psychological shape.
Kherson Region: Firewood Distribution and the Recovery of Wounded volunteers
The Kamyshin area near Kherson is currently under the care of Serhiy Hubenko, our Kherson volunteer. Serhiy works at the children's school Dieslovo, which also serves as a support center for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Kherson. After the tragedy in Solonchaki on November 25, which killed our volunteer Artur Kucheryavenko and severely wounded Vladyslav, his father, Serhiy and his team of volunteers took over the firewood distribution project.
We spoke with Vladyslav, whose condition is improving. The stitches on his injured hand have been removed, and now the focus is on rehabilitation. Vladyslav also recorded an audio message for us, sharing this update. His fellow volunteers, Natalia and Ivan, who were with him and Artur on that ill-fated day, are doing well, remain optimistic, and are ready to continue serving others. They are awaiting Vladyslav’s recovery.
It’s likely that the next humanitarian projects for the team will take place in the spring or summer, and Vladyslav is eager to return to work by that time. For now, we continue to support him to ensure his recovery progresses swiftly.
Bringing Joy to Children In Frontline Towns
After nearly three years of trips to the frontline, our volunteers are still sometimes moved to tears when witnessing children living in conditions that no child should experience. Last week, Alena’s team Virgo traveled to two frontline towns near Kherson, while Anastasia’s team LoveUA, together with Alina’s team Dobra sprava, traveled to two frontline towns near Zaporizhzhia. The volunteers dressed in costumes to bring some holiday cheer and gifts to nearly 500 children whose families are choosing to stay put. The teams held small celebrations in bomb shelters when this was possible.
Drones make two other villages near Kherson impossible for outsiders to enter, so Alena’s team handed the gifts to local volunteers who drive at night to pick up aid and bring it back to their village, block by block. Each block has one volunteer responsible for distributing the aid. On the way back to Odesa, Alena’s team stopped by a Kherson monument and decorated it with crafts that the children made during the party.
Help in Occupied Territories
170 packages were distributed in two occupied towns.
Team Summaries
Alina’s Team – Dobra sprava (Good Deeds)
13 trips, evacuating 81 people.
Inna’s Team – Krok z nadiyeyu (Step with Hope)
20.1 tons of aid delivered. 7,850 people served, plus 6,600 received bread.
Aid delivered to Kherson, Beryslav district, Kramatorsk, Sloviansk, Druzhkivka, Kostyantynivka, Nikopol, Balakliya, Izyum, and Marhanets - 10 high risk areas altogether.
28 tons (46 cubic meters) of firewood delivered.
Kherson operations: 4 equipment maintenance tasks. Focused on exterminating rodents in a major warehouse space.
Angelia Charitable Fund
Volunteer Volodymyr A traveled the route from Kyiv to Uman, to Kirovograd, to Mykolaiv and villages of the Mykolaiv Region, and back to Kyiv, delivering 1,200 kg of clothes, shoes, dishes, freezer, battery, toilets for the disabled and other aid aid to 150 people.
Provided the local Seventh Day Adventist in Uman with dishes, clothes, and shoes for later distribution to local internally displaced people (IDPs). Delivered medical scrubs and an EcoFlow power supply backup to the Kirovograd regional blood transfusion station. Brought clothing, shoes and household electrical appliances to villages of the Mykolaiv Region, and distributed aid to a large family in the village of Afanasiivka, which was flooded in 2023. Delivered a microwave oven, freezer and other aid to several families in the village of Prybuzke, who are recovering from a shell explosion in their neighborhood last November.
Oleksandr D’s Volunteer Networks
Vladyslav K (Mykolaiv): delivered 35 tons of drinking water to Mykolaiv.
Serhiy A (Kharkiv): in December 2024, delivered 5 tons of aid to the blind in Zaporizhzhia, Pavlohrad, Dnipro, Kamianets-Podilskyi, Chernivtsi, Khmelnytskyi, Shepetivka, Bar, Uman, Kramatorsk, Kamianske, and Kryvyi Rih.
Vitaliy Z (Kharkiv): delivered 3.5 tons of humanitarian kits, clothes, medicine, and animal feed to Lyman (Donetsk Region). Brought an additional 2 tons of aid to Raihorodok and Lyman.
Natalia B (Kherson): in December 2024, 8 families with children, children with disabilities and elderly people with disabilities received assistance in the form of dairy products a total of 4 times.
Oleksandr D (Lutsk): the team mostly took a break over the New Year’s holiday, delivering 22 tons of fuel briquettes to 55 households in Komyshany (Kherson Region). Since the tragic killing and injury of the Mykolaiv volunteers in Solonchaki last fall, the project has been handled by Serhiy H and his volunteers. Meanwhile, Vladyslav, who was injured in the attack and whose son Artur was killed, is slowly recovering and is anxious to get back to work.
Oksana K (Lutsk): provided 2 families with a baby box (portable crib).
Oleksandr Z (Lutsk): provided therapeutic interventions and aid to IDP children and adults, children with disabilities, children from large families and military personnel. Held an art therapy session for 26 children. Attended New Year celebration performances with 50 children. Attended a museum with 55 IDPs and military personnel. Provided glasses for 30 adults and children. Helped 300 IDPs and 60 children and young adult students with bread and other food. Contributed to the manufacture of 36 orthopedic prostheses, and the purchase of wheelchairs through state programs in partnership with medical centers and specialized stores. Continued to conduct examinations and physiotherapy procedures (75 total) for IDPs from Zaporizhzhia and preventive procedures for the recovery of children (10 total).
Kseniia’s Team – Livyy bereh (Left Bank)
Darya evacuated 4 people from Podoly, Kindrashivka, and Kovsharivka.
Karina’s Team – My ryatuyemo Ukrayinu (We Save Ukraine)
142 people in the shelter.
Tetiana’s Team – Dopomoha poruch (Help Is Near)
Distributed 200 aid packages to internally displaced refugees in Smila.
Distributed 30 aid packages to old and disabled people in Smila via the Department of Social Services.
Natasha’s Team – Volontersʹkyy tsentr Vyshnya (Cherry Volunteer Center)
After a week off for the holiday Natasha and Tania are preparing for 2 trips to Donbas and Kherson region later this week.
Timur’s Team — Komanda Teymura Alyeva (Timur Alyev’s Team)
Distributed aid packages to 397 families in Kharkiv.
Special deliveries to 18 disabled elderly and 17 families with infants .
Distributed holiday gifts to over 1,000 children in Kharkiv.
Pomahaem Foundation (We Help Foundation)
The team took a well deserved break for New Year’s week. Only the accountants and project managers continued to work to finalize reporting and paperwork for the year.
8 tons of water delivered to Nikopol.
Dina’s Team — Vilʹni lyudy, vilʹna krayina (Free People, Free Country)
Distributed 315 packages in Kremenchuk, Poltava, and Kanev.
Distributed 45 sweet treat gifts to children in Kremenchuk.
Supplied meat for a soup kitchen in Kharkiv that feeds about 1,500-2,000 people a week.
Bohdan’s Team — Vse robymo sami (We Do Everything Ourselves)
43 families in Zhytomyr received food and hygiene kits.
This week in the club for children with disabilities kids didn't learn how to cook, but instead celebrated New Year with games, entertainment and a sweet table.
Alena’s Team – Diva (Virgo)
Brought 365 gifts to children in 4 frontline towns near Kherson and held celebrations in bomb shelters in two of the towns.
Anastasia’s Team - LoveUA
Brought 200 packages of food and 120 children’s gifts to the frontline towns of Krasnotorka and Komyshuvakha.
How to Help
Donate — The money goes directly to teams providing aid on the ground, who respond dynamically to the most urgent needs.
Fundraise — Organize fundraisers at your school, work, place of worship, with friends and family, etc.
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Fill out this form if you’re interested in volunteering with us, and we’ll let you know when opportunities come up.
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