Ukrainian volunteers send humanitarian aid to the front-line Donetsk region

Volunteers of the Poruch (Close) initiative delivered small bags, food kits and hygiene products to the front-line settlements of the Donetsk region.

What's the problem?

Volunteers of the Poruch initiative, like no one else, feel all the pain and horror the war brings. They see the extremely difficult conditions people live in. All this is impossible to forget and convey in words.

What's the solution?

The volunteers visited the front-line city of Toretsk, in the Donetsk region, with a humanitarian mission. This settlement has been in close proximity to enemy positions since 2014. It has been suffering from artillery, tank and infantry attacks for 9 years. People have been living without water for 9 years and have had problems with electricity for more than a year. All infrastructure and residential buildings were destroyed by shelling. Almost 70% of the population has already been evacuated from the city. Currently, about 16,000 local residents remain there. But the worst thing is that about 800 of them are children. They see all this horror and live under the constant sounds of artillery cannonade.

How does it work?

"The trip was one of the most difficult," says volunteer Bohdan. "We were accompanied by explosions all the way to the city. The contact person who was waiting for us turned out to be dishonest. She did not gather people and thought that we would unload everything for her, and she would send a photo report later. . But we don't work like that. In fact, there was no one to give aid."

The volunteers found a solution: they decided to drive around the city and honk.  People started coming out of their yards, calling their neighbors and friends. It also helped the volunteers that their Dragon, which is painted on a car's bead, is immediately noticed by everyone. Volunteers distributed first-aid kits, food kits, generators, water purification tablets, and hygiene products. As a result, about 150 families received help. Toretsk is shelled every day. There is almost nothing left of the city. Almost every house is damaged or destroyed. Among the volunteers was Max, who was born and raised in Toretsk, but the enemy destroyed his home. It was extremely difficult for him to walk the streets, to look at all this horror.

During humanitarian missions, volunteers always communicate with the locals. People share their grief, tell many stories about the war. It hurts them a lot. This time, the volunteers made friends with a man with a sincere smile and a kind look. He is a traumatologist. He says that he is not leaving, because he understands that he is needed here. There are many such examples of dedication and courage. Homeless animals are another kind of pain: there are a lot of them here, and they suffer from hunger. The volunteers never ignore them: they always bring food with them and feed everyone they see.

Then they arrived in Kramatorsk and Kostyantynivka – here, 10 minutes before their arrival, a pharmacy was shelled by the russians.

"It seems that it is difficult to shock our volunteers, we have seen a lot of things. But it always "follows" us after such trips. In social networks, people look at our stories and look for their home or hope to see relatives or acquaintances. Then they write in the comments, asking to tell more about someone. Every time, having visited the frontline cities, we understand how important our activities are. And we always promise to help even more," Bohdan shared.