As Russia’s war in Ukraine passed the 1,000th day mark last Tuesday, Ukraine was rattled by a series of brutal attacks, killing innocent people in Sumy, Kharkiv, Odesa, Kyiv, and numerous other locations. Yet, Ukrainian spirits were buoyed by the many voices from all across the world, expressing loudly and clearly support for Ukraine in her struggle against tyrants — a struggle for Ukraine’s very existence. 

Kharkiv is going through some of the darkest times of this war. A number of enemy glide bombs have dropped in random residential areas in the city center destroying historic buildings and killing innocent civilians.

Few countries watched the American elections with as much anxiety as Ukraine. Even if the general outlines of US policy remain the same, the uncertainty of cabinet transition could mean delays in vital aid that sustains Ukrainian civilians and, most importantly, its military. We hope that the voices of reason will prevail and the US stays the course in supporting Ukraine in its struggle for independence and the physical survival of its citizens.

Volunteers mobilized around an attack on Dnipro and conducted operations to supply civilians trapped on the east side of the Oskil river. It's tragic that these efforts are necessary, but we feel deeply grateful to our donors for supporting such an adaptable network.

In the Kharkiv Region, Putin’s armies have managed to cut through Ukrainian defenses on the western bank of Oskil river, leading to more restrictions on volunteer evacuations of residents.

A few months ago, many of you participated in a matching donation drive. We are happy to report that we met the challenge and recently received the final grant payment from this foundation. If you interested in another match grant, please let us know by writing to donate@ukrainetrustchain.org.

After the tumultuous events we reported last week, this week might seem almost ordinary, but the situation has not improved and continues to steadily deteriorate.

This week we focus on just one story – an incident that happened last Saturday. This event touched on many key aspects of Ukraine TrustChain's work, so we thought it would be fitting to tell the story in full, from various perspectives.

Every dollar we collect still goes to evacuate a person who would otherwise remain in danger, to feed somebody who would otherwise go hungry, to deliver drinkable water to people who would otherwise risk their health by drinking from a polluted source. Thank you to all of you who continue to see meaning in this work, and who support us after almost three years of unrelenting efforts.

Last week Ukraine TrustChain teams made 48 trips to frontline regions in addition to dozens of aid distributions to internally displaced people.

A hard winter is ahead, but our teams will do as much as possible to help civilians, evacuating people and providing them with essential supplies. Please spread the word about UTC, as the coming months will be difficult for people, especially in remote parts of Ukraine.

Last Monday, 236 rockets and drones struck Ukraine. A few hours later a hotel was destroyed in the center of Kryvyi Rih. On Tuesday, 81 Iranian-made drones and 10 rockets were launched again. Wednesday night brought 71 more drones — Kyiv teams had to take cover and sleep in their bathrooms. On Friday, there were airstrikes in Kherson, and 12 more Shahed kamikaze drones hit central Ukraine. On Sunday, at 4:00 AM, just before the start of the school year, the Russians attacked all major cities.

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.