March 6th, 2025
67,267 people evacuated from danger to date
86 people evacuated from danger this week
41 trips into deoccupied and frontline territories this week
Since last week, we have received many messages of support from our fellow Americans. We continue to translate every one of these messages and share them with the volunteers in Ukraine. Reading what you have written brings some of the volunteers to tears. These words mean as much to them as your financial support. The volunteers have a lot of questions for us about current events and how they are perceived by the American public. They are heartened to hear that there are ordinary people on the other side of the ocean who care about them and understand their struggle. This quote from Pavel Shulha is a good representation of the sentiments we are receiving from our Ukrainian teams:
My friend, in these three years of war we have seen how enormous the HEARTS of Americans truly are!!! Without you, we would have lost so many more of our people! We are endlessly grateful to you and to everyone who supports Ukrainians!!! A deep bow and immense gratitude to your entire TEAM!!! We will not stop!!! We will defeat evil with GOOD!!!”
If you want to send a message to the volunteers at large, or to a particular team, please feel free to include it in the notes with your donation or email us at contact@ukrainetrustchain.org. We remain grateful for all of your support and honored to be a link between people who share the ideals and values of democracy and human rights.
Stories
Firewood Distributions Successfully Completed
Another winter is coming to an end in war-torn Ukraine, and we are happy to report that we’ve completed the 2024-2025 firewood distribution project. This massive undertaking helped 9,992 families, or about 30,000 people, in the most underserved communities along the Ukrainian front line. Dozens of volunteers from three UTC teams (Oleksandr D, Inna K, and Pavlo and Olena S) delivered more than 190 trucks, or 4,213 tons of fuel briquettes and firewood to 80 locations in five regions of Ukraine.
Our volunteers paid a high price to to complete this project. On November 25, 2024, a Russian FPV drone attacked a distribution site near the village of Solonchaky, killing Artur Kucheryavenko and wounding his father Vladyslav. Artur and his family will always be in our hearts and prayers. Artur knew about the risks involved, бут chose to go on these missions anyway, to ensure that thousands of people suffering from the Russian invasion would be able to survive yet another winter of this unjust war.
The full firewood distribution report is available upon request. Please reach out if you have any questions.
Halting Bread Deliveries in Kostyantynivka
After having supported Kostyantynivka weekly for three years, our Ukrainian volunteers are being forced to discontinue bread distributions there, as the situation on the ground is becoming unmanageable. Here is an excerpt from Inna’s team report:
The city is shelled every day, suffering heavy destruction. It is simply being gradually wiped out. The situation is on the brink of catastrophe. The bridges are damaged. There are interruptions in electricity, gas, heating, and water.
Nevertheless, we provided assistance to people, bringing bread, glasses, household chemicals, and oilcloth. The bread was distributed to those affected by the shelling, to pensioners, and to low-income individuals.
Unfortunately, this is probably the last time [we will be able to provide aid]. The place where the distributions took place has been damaged. A strike hit the neighboring house and everything was destroyed. [Even] the roof was torn off. Kostyantynivka is grateful for the help that we have managed to provide.
Ihor from our evacuation team, Dobra sprava, says:
Access to Kostyantynivka has been closed completely and is now only allowed with special permits from the administration under the escort of the military or police. But we continue to carry out our evacuation missions.
Anatoly’s Loss
This week we received news that Anatoly from Sandra's kitchen in Odesa recently lost his wife Natalia. Anatoly is an important team member who prepares hot food. Other team members have been concerned about him and unsure about how to help him in his grief. What has helped Anatoly most has been the volunteer work itself. By continuing to help in Sandra's kitchen, Anatoly has stayed connected to the community, to feel useful and to regain some optimism in his outlook. We send our condolences to Anatoly and thank him for his work.
Help in Occupied Territories
70 families received help in the occupied towns of Ukraine.
Team Summaries
Alina’s Team – Dobra sprava (Good Deeds)
73 people evacuated during 13 missions in the directions of Kostyantynivka, Rodyns’ke, Bilyts’ke, Pokrovsk, Lyman, Shakhove, and Mezhove.
Inna’s Team – Krok z nadiyeyu (Step with Hope)
21.4 tons of aid delivered to 40 locations across the front line.
8,050 people helped; 6,600 received bread.
11 high-risk area missions, including Kherson, Nikopol, and 6 Donetsk Region locations.
The team evacuated 2 people from Piddubne, near Volnovakha, a key eastern battleground. The team then traveled back to Piddubne 3 more times to move the remaining possessions of this elderly couple.
UTC paid for repairs of several vehicles critical for the team’s local operations.
Kherson operations:
Exterminations in 3 spaces.
16 equipment maintenance tasks.
Conducted 8 meetings for kids and teenagers in Khrakiv.
Dozens of events conducted by branch teams in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipro, Kamianske and other towns.
Oleksandr D’s Volunteer Networks
Vladyslav K (Mykolaiv): delivered 35 tons of drinking water to Mykolaiv and 7 tons to Kherson.
Sandra S (Odesa): some volunteers were sick this week, so the kitchen fed 700 people. Unfortunately, volunteer Anatoly lost his wife. He is being consoled by the team.
Yuri S (Vinnytsia): distributed 20 kg of clothing to the poor in Mohyliv-Podil's'kyi. Also took a person with disabilities to social rehabilitation.
WeCare Centers (Lviv): went to Gdansk (Poland) to pick up 10 tons of humanitarian aid, including protective equipment for emergency workers. This aid was delivered to the warehouse in Boryslav, for further distribution to cities around Ukraine.
Serhiy A (Kharkiv): distributed 45 food packages to the blind in Chernivtsi, 48 packages in Kamianske, and 30 packages in Odesa. Picked up aid in several cities and delivered 5.8 tons of groceries to the warehouse in Kharkiv for further distribution to the blind around Ukraine.
Vitaliy Z (Kharkiv): brought 3.5 tons of humanitarian kits, medicines, clothing, and animal feed to Yarova, near Lyman. Proposed evacuation. Delivered 44 tons of fuel briquettes for 146 households in Lyman. Also distributed 500 loaves of “Victory” bread and warm clothing in Lyman. Delivered an additional 2 tons of aid in the Lyman and Toretsk directions. Finally finished drilling a well in the Kramatorsk community. Several professional drill bits were earlier lost due to the composition of the ground.
Oksana K (Lutsk): delivered a walker to a sick elderly woman and adult diapers to a seriously ill woman. Distributed 45 kg of diapers and clothing to the local population. Distributed 26-28 kg of pasta to 12 visitors to the aid distribution center.
Oleksandr Z (Lutsk): provided therapeutic interventions and aid to internally displaced (IDP) children and adults, children from military families, children with disabilities, and orphans – held art therapy for 60 children. Took 156 children to the theater and puppet theater at the Philharmonic. Distributed bread and other food to 380 students and 70 orphans living in IDP assistance centers. Provided glasses for 21 adults and children. Conducted 71 medical procedures to improve the health of children with disabilities from Zaporizhia. Helped 12 newly arrived children from frontline areas with prophylactic health procedures, physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, and gym classes. Through partners, helped 7 people to get prostheses and rehabilitation therapy.
Kseniia’s Team – Livyy bereh (Left Bank)
228 aid packages were delivered to 7 frontline villages near Kup’yans’k (Kasyanivka, Kut’kivka, Monachynivka, Putnykove, Kindrashivka, Vasyl’tsivka, and Stets’kivka).
2 generators were delivered to Kut’kivka.
Evacuated 11 people and 4 dogs from Kasyanivka, Monachynivka, Kindrashivka, and Vasyl’tsivka.
Karina’s Team – My ryatuyemo Ukrayinu (We Save Ukraine)
104 people in the shelter.
Tetiana’s Team – Dopomoha poruch (Help Is Near)
Delivered 100 aid packages and hygiene products to the village of Krutoyarivka on the border between the Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
Delivered 100 aid packages and hygiene products to the inhabitants of Pokrovsk.
Distributed 30 aid packages and hygiene products to recently internally displaced refugees in Smila.
Timur’s Team – Komanda Teymura Alyeva (Timur Alyev’s Team)
Delivered $373 aid packages to families in Saltivka, Kharkiv.
Special deliveries to 8 disabled elderly and 18 families with babies.
Pavel and Olena’s Teams – Dotyk sertsya (Touch of Heart) & Svitanok mriy (Dawn of Dreams)
Delivered 227 packages to Luch and Novohryhorivka.
Delivered fuel briquettes to 73 families in Pravdyne.
Delivered children’s clothing to Afanasiivka.
Conducted children’s events in Mykolaiv.
Pomahaem Foundation (We Help Foundation)
24 tons of water were delivered to Nikopol.
Marina’s Team – Daruy dobrо Ukrayina (Give Good Ukraine)
150 food and hygiene packages were distributed to internally displaced people in Pyatikhatky.
Dina’s Team — Vilʹni lyudy, vilʹna krayina (Free People, Free Country)
Distributed 475 packages in Kremenchuk, Poltava, Kanev, and Krasnokutsk; mailed 200 packages from Dnipro.
Served 1,270 meals in the soup kitchen in Kharkiv.
Bohdan’s Team — Vse robymo sami (We Do Everything Ourselves)
42 families in Zhytomyr received food and hygiene kits.
At the Club for Children with Disabilities, children participated in a cooking class where they learned to make cheese sticks. During psychological relief games, they explored the art of communication and developed skills for effective and positive interaction.
Alena – Diva (Virgo)
Liza and Katya continue to support select hospital wards in Odesa, caring for 12 wounded.
Anna’s Team – Nezalezhna natsiya (Independent Nation)
209 tons of water delivered in February to 3 Kherson Region villages (Tavriiske, Nova Zorya, and Pravdyne).
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.
Spread the word — Share our website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Bluesky Social with your friends, family, and colleagues.
Fill out this form if you’re interested in volunteering with us, and we’ll let you know when opportunities come up.
Download and print our flyer. Ask your local coffee shop if you can add it to the bulletin, or use it as part of your fundraiser.