Last Saturday Ukrainе celebrated its 33rd Independence Day. Despite years of bloody struggle, burning cities of Donbas and immense existential risks, people of Ukraine are steadfast in their commitment to remain an independent democracy. Ukraine continues its fight with Russia’s tyranny, heroically defending not only its own sovereignty but the right of all free people of the world to choose their government and chart their own path. 

Many of our teams’ efforts continue to focus on two main directions in the Donbas. In the north Russians are advancing toward Toretsk, Chasiv Yar, and Kostyantynivka, but due to the heroic fighting of the Ukrainian armed forces and extremely difficult terrain, the frontline is moving slowly. Further to the south, the Russian army is approaching Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad, where Ukraine is having a much harder time holding the enemy back.

Our biggest pain points remain Toretsk, Chasiv Yar and Pokrovsk, where the Russian offensive is forcing more people to evacuate and seek help from government and volunteer organizations in major cities. We are proud to continue supporting this life-saving work.

Our Ukrainian teams managed to make 20 evacuation round trips last week in the Donbas region where Russia has advanced four miles West toward the city of Pokrovsk. The volunteers are actively coordinating their actions with local military authorities and village administrations, improvising and making the necessary adjustments to provide help as close to the frontline as possible.

Currently, Ukraine experiences 90 airstrikes and more than 4000 artillery shellings daily. Yet these brutal attacks do not deter our volunteers, and they are able to continue helping people at the same rate.

There is a steadily increasing level of risk to our volunteers, who are coming closer and closer to bombardment sites and seeing more and more destruction and here is a growing desperation in the crowds of people who come to receive help in 110°F heat gripping all of Ukraine.

This week in Ukraine will be remembered for the unprecedented extreme heat that has been tormenting Ukrainians in all regions of the country.

We continue to support sites of Russia’s terrorist attacks in Dnipro, Kharkiv, Odesa and many other cities, where Russian rockets aim to break the spirit of Ukrainian resistance.

UTC founder Daniil who visited key Ukrainian sites where UTC volunteers work writes:

“Тhere is a stark difference between the weekly reports containing dry numbers and familiar pictures of people holding plastic bags, and the raw reality you feel in Ukraine. Here, ordinary people – our Ukrainian volunteers – have put their lives on hold for more than two years to go to deadly, dangerous places every week.They do this despite blackouts, rocket attacks, draft police checkpoints and a multitude of other obstacles. But they always get through, making sure that donations to UTC address the most urgent needs. If you still have friends who might be willing to help keep this effort going, please tell them about this incredible work. Every dollar helps.”

This week, one of our founders, Daniil, arrived in Ukraine on his fourth trip since the start of the full scale invasion. He will be visiting Odesa, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv, and Kyiv – key cities where Ukraine TrustChain teams are concentrated – and meeting with our Ukrainian volunteers in person.

Those that follow our newsletters know that we restored more than 300 homes in the village of Slatyne north of Kharkiv after it was liberated in the fall of 2022. Unfortunately on Tuesday morning, we learned that for the first time in almost two years that Russia has tried to hit Slatyne again, possibly because of the intensifying battles near Vovchansk. The strike wounded a 51-year-old woman working in her garden. She remains in critical condition.

Earlier this week, we reached a significant milestone by sending a total of $10,000,000 to Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion. These resources helped evacuate 62,000 people, deliver 14,000 tons of aid worth 100s of millions of dollars and provided at least a week's worth of help to 5.3MM people.

Our teams operating in Kherson and right-bank villages along Dnipro have independently reported rising risks. But people still live there, including children in some areas, and the teams we support insist on supporting them at all costs.

In our chats with Ukrainian teams we feel the slow escalation of the war and the stress and the tension that is gradually building up all across the frontline.

New Russian offensive north of Kharkiv is being conducted with absolute predatory ruthlessness, making no distinction between military units and civilians. This is causing a surge in evacuations and refugee flows, while increasing risks for our volunteer teams.

The offensive in the north is accompanied by intensifying bombings of Kharkiv. Though Congress has approved aid to Ukraine, this aid has not yet reached the Ukrainian military.

Last week we marked 800 days from the start of the full-scale invasion.

Although the US aid to Ukraine was recently approved it will take some time for it to get to Ukraine and have an actual impact on the situation on the ground.

We are proud that the US Congress and Senate passed the Ukraine aid and were happy to get countless misplaced thank you from our volunteers.

It is heartrending to witness the daily destruction of Ukraine. Ukrainian volunteers and our entire community in the West are doing what we can to help ease the suffering caused by Russia’s vicious attacks.