May 9, 2024
61,313 people evacuated from danger to date
152 people evacuated from danger this week
38 trips into the deoccupied and frontline territories this week
If you are in Denver, please stop by Longtable Brewhouse on 5/18 for a beer release party, with proceeds from beer sales going to UTC. Thank you to owner Nate Smith for ongoing support of Ukraine and for hosting the fundraiser, and to our long-time donor Naomi for organizing the event.
Stories
Paski (Easter Cakes)
Last week we marked 800 days from the start of the full-scale invasion. With the war raging this long, it’s hard not to notice the absurd regularity of the usual annual holidays taking place against a ghastly background of war-torn Ukraine. Yet, for the third time Ukraine celebrated Orthodox Easter to the sound of Russian bombs exploding in beautiful Ukrainian cities, in Dnipro, Kharkiv, and Sumy.
The night before Easter we were talking to Anastasia, who was multitasking. She was baking Easter cakes - “paski” - and discussing with us the plans for her upcoming trip to Donbas. The sirens went off; Russian missiles were on their way with only a few minutes left before impact. Anastasia ran out to take shelter and forgot to turn off the oven. She was upset about the cakes - she wanted to share them with her family the next day. Her apartment was fine, but this seemingly trivial loss seemed so unfair and cruel.
Nevertheless, Ukraine TrustChain teams made sure that many families across Ukraine had the right supplies to celebrate Easter. In the photo below you can see paski, which require eggs and sugar in the recipe. These difficult-to-get ingredients are essential for any Easter celebration, a welcome rare opportunity to celebrate hope and resurrection, defying the evil that seems so powerful at the moment.
Vitaliy Receives the Order of Combat Volunteer
While delivering aid, as always, to some of the most dangerous areas of the Donetsk Region, Vitaliy got a pleasant surprise. A detachment of the State Border Service of Ukraine honored him with the Order of Combat Volunteer, established in 2016 to commend individuals who volunteer in combat zones within the territory of Ukraine. We congratulate Vitaliy on this well-deserved recognition of his service.
Vitaliy loves cats.
Order of Combat Volunteer
Sandra's Team Suffers Impact from Russian Attack
Last week Russia launched several devastating cluster bomb attacks on areas of the southern port of Odesa. In addition to military targets, the bombs also spread death and tragedy among the civilians taking in the warm spring seaside air. Sandra's team writes about the impact on their kitchen, which operates out of a train station:
"One of [the targets blown up with cluster munitions was] near the station. Many houses were damaged. People died. We are very afraid that some of the people who come to eat at the station have died. Very few people came yesterday. There were no migrants or soldiers either. We hope that people just went to visit their loved ones for the holidays. We really hope to see them on Wednesday."
In addition to the worry for their regular visitors, the team met a woman who approached them to find out if the volunteers had any connection to UN representatives. "Her son has been in captivity in Mordovia, [an autonomous republic within the Russian Federation] for two years. The poor mother is looking for some way to free her son. We pray for her boy Yaroslav."
Agricultural Project Continues
Our agricultural project is conceived to help people in the most vulnerable areas - where food and energy supply is likely to be impacted by Russia’s terrorist attacks. Last week Inna’s team delivered aid to 500 families near the town of Zolochiv. The city, sitting merely 15 miles from the border with Russia, came under brutal shelling on the day of distributions, which forced our volunteers to redirect aid through alternative routes and unloading points. Despite these challenges 2,100 families received seedlings in the Kharkiv Region. People in other high-risk areas, such as Beryslav, and key Donbas towns from Sloviansk to Kostyantynivka - received seeds and seedlings as well.
Drone Strike Hits Close to Home for Timur
Readers who’ve been following Timur’s team for a while know that for over two years they’ve been distributing food from a sausage factory in Saltivka. The factory is located right near the team’s base and has been their partner in feeding thousands of people. This week a Russian drone strike hit the factory and caused a major fire. Thankfully no one was killed but multiple people were seriously injured.
Team members were on site helping to put out the fire and trying to save the vital food producer. The fire was extinguished but the strike hit close to home emotionally as well as physically. The team is exhausted and feeling the weight of Russia's attacks against civilian infrastructure, whether it's power plants, residences, or food producers.
Aid in Occupied Territories
2 people were evacuated from the Russian-occupied left bank to unoccupied Ukraine. 400 families received aid in occupied territories.
Team Summaries
Alina’s Team – Dobra Sprava (“Good Cause”)
15 trips and 143 people evacuated from Kurakhove, Selydove, Novohrodivka, Lyman, Mykolaiv, Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Kostyantynivka, Svyatohirsk, Pokrovsk, Toretsk, and Kherson.
Inna’s Team – Krok z Nadiyeyu (“Step with Hope”)
10, 500 served; 22.6 tons transported.
Distributed bread to 9,500 people.
Work in Kherson:
Exterminations in 8 buildings.
Performed mold removal in 3 spaces.
Performed 15 equipment maintenance tasks.
3 tons of aid delivered to Sofiivka, Khrystoforivka and Valove, near Beryslav.
Food packages and agricultural aid delivered to Kostyantynivka and Druzhkivka, Kramatorsk, and Sloviansk.
Water distributed in NIkopol.
Oleksandr D’s Volunteer Networks
Vitaliy Z (Kharkiv): brought 3 tons of humanitarian kits, medicines, clothes and animal feed to Chasiv Yar and 1.5 tons of aid to Ocheretyne (both in Donetsk Region). Vitaliy was also awarded the Order of Combat Volunteer!
Vladyslav K (Mykolaiv): delivered 35 tons of drinking water to Mykolaiv and 14 tons to Kherson. The team also analyzed quality of water from Kherson well.
Sandra S (Odesa): kitchen fed more than 1,000 people. Major explosions near train station where kitchen is located destroyed houses and caused multiple deaths.
Natalia B (Kherson): delivered dairy products to 16 families with children, children with disabilities and elderly people with disabilities.
Oleksandr S (Boyarka): delivered 2.5 tons of food and clothes to the Mykolaiv Region villages of Lyubomirivka, Veselyi Kut, and Yakovlivka.
Oleksandr D (Lutsk): received 2 generators and sent them to Vitaliy’s team in Kharkiv.
Oksana K (Lutsk): sent 115 kg of aid packages to various locations in the east and 1 10kg package to help local family of military man with a newborn child.
Oleksandr Z (Lutsk): held 3 art therapy sessions for 56 internally displaced (IDP) children, children with disabilities and children from large families and military families. An additional 214 children received food, medical aid (medicines, IVs, limb prostheses) and trips to museums. Exhibit of children’s drawings is also being organized.
Kseniia’s Team - NGO Livyj Bereh (“Left Bank”)
Darya, based in Kharkiv, evacuated 7 people who managed to walk to Ukraine controlled villages from recently occupied Kyslivka.
Darya also delivered 88 packages to 4 frontline villages. Her team helped 450 people in Kharkiv who suffered from attacks in the last 2 weeks.
Eggs for traditional Easter cakes distributed to 220 families in Kherson Region (Posad-Porkovsk, Pryozerne, and Oleksandrivka).
2 roofs installed in Slatyne, north of Kharkiv.
Karina’s Team - We Save Dnipro
61 people in the shelter.
Tetiana’s Team - Dopomoha Poruch (“Help is Near”)
Delivered 320 aid packages to the village of Starovirivka, Kharkiv Region.
Timur’s Team – Timur and Team
In addition to dealing with the fire from the drone strike on the sausage factory, the team managed to celebrate Easter and distribute aid.
Distributed aid packages to 240 people in Saltivka.
Delivered aid to 200 people in the village of Kulinichi.
Pavel and Olena’s Teams - (“Touch of Heart” and “Dawn of Hope”)
1768 people received help through Mykolaiv office.
1.5 tons of water delivered to Novopavlivske.
250 packages delivered to Novopavlivske and Kvitneve.
Team working on rebuilding homes in Mykolaiv Region.
Kirill, Marina, Andriy - Pomahaem Foundation (“We Help”)
2 trips completed to Kherson, delivering 520 packages from Danida.
19 families helped in Kostyantynivka, Sloviansk and Udachne in Donbas.
Natalia’s Team - Vyshnia Volunteer Center
Tetiana, based in Kryvyi Rih, traveled to Kniazivka, and Novohryhorivske in Beryslav Region, delivering 157 regular aid packages, as well 70 packages for local children.
Marina’s Team – Give Good Ukraine
150 food and hygiene packages distributed in Zhovti Vody.
Dina’s Team - Vilni Liudy – Vilna Krayina (“Free People - Free Country”)
Distributed 380 packages around Kanev, Krasnokutsk, Kremenchuk, Dnipro, and Poltava, and mailed out 100 more packages.
Bogdan’s Team - Vse robymo sami (“We do everything ourselves”)
Distributed Easter cakes and sweets to 300 kids.
Conducted a master class on decorating Easter cakes for children.
Provided food aid to 42 families.
Organized a sports games club for children with disabilities.
Received equipment for the ophthalmology office and will soon start a new social project. In the meantime, more than 400 people have already received free glasses.
Alena’s Team - Virgo
Traveled to Antonivka and Pavlo-Mar'yanivka and handed out 65 Easter cakes to children, as well as milk, clothes, and shoes donated by people in Odesa.
How to Help
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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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