Help people in Ukraine

25 Dec 2022 Help people in Ukraine

Paypal any support you can to Alex directly: fonatig@gmail.com

Another update from Alex in Ukraine – 20230516:

I would like to report on another month of our volunteer work and its results.
I will start with the bad news.
On May 8, as part of Russia’s indiscriminate rocket attacks, our largest Red Cross humanitarian warehouse in Odessa was destroyed. It is difficult to overestimate the help of this organization and it was a serious hit to us. I have been there myself and know for a fact that no military facilities were even close.
I could call it a coincidence, but five days later, on May 13, the Russians struck another major humanitarian hub, “Light of Reformation”, in the city of Ternopil.
Thousands of tons of humanitarian aid passed through these warehouses. Apparently, Russia does not like the fact that Ukrainians are helping people in hot spots, because it hurts the reputation as “saviors” that they are so desperately and ridiculously trying to build.
This is nothing short of deliberate terror.

However, due to the decentralized and cohesive nature of our guys, this did not prevent us from accomplishing our mission by sending help to the three places where it was most needed this month. Namely:

There was a “Social Wardrobe” event for temporarily displaced citizens and refugees in the city of Poltava. Summer clothes were distributed to people. After all, many of them could not take anything with them.

Donetsk. With the support of Territorial Community #31, a humanitarian cargo of provisions was delivered from Kiev.

Izyum, Kharkiv region. Garments, footwear for adults and children, sets of provisions, sufficient for food for a month were delivered also with support of our guys from ZSU.

This is an area that is subjected to heavy shelling on a daily basis. People die, being blown up on mines, the infrastructure does not work properly – water, light and communication is not always available. But faith in ZSU and support from all corners of the country remains undaunted.

On behalf of everyone you helped, and me personally – thank you for everything you do.

Another update from Alex in Ukraine – 20230409:

During the month our volunteers had time to visit three places where help was needed for the local people. All of these places are in eastern Ukraine, near Donetsk.

In the village of Pryvolye in Slovyansk district we distributed humanitarian aid in the form of food packages to people in need. These are groats, flour, pasta, stewed meat, canned food, oil, energy bars, designed for a month. A total of 355 people received the help they so desperately needed now.

We also were able to send food, water and some medication to the very small village of Stepovoye in Donetsk region. About 60 people remain there, cut off from the outside world, but for their own reasons refusing to leave their home, now so close to the front.
It’s hard to be indifferent to their fate and we do what we can to alleviate the impact of the war on their lives.

The third and so far the last place was the village of Pervomayskoye. There are also problems with food and water supplies. Even though there are only about 80 people left in the village, we still try not to leave them in trouble in any way we can. We managed to persuade 6 people to leave the village. They were taken to a refugee shelter in Dnepropetrovsk.

All these places are close to the line of contact between the two armies and, unfortunately, the Russians are advancing in small steps, leaving only death and ruins behind them.

There is not a single village in that region that has not been affected by the war.
During a trip to the Donetsk region, it becomes quite obvious that they are not interested in people or land, they want to destroy us as a nation! Therefore, we must fight, each as best we can: the defenders on the front lines and us on the rear!

Now from everywhere we hear news of a Ukrainian counter-offensive being prepared, which is about to begin, but no one knows where or when.
Ukraine has indeed assembled quite a serious group of troops, equipped with a large number of modern weapons and equipment transferred from the West.
We are all looking forward to breaking through the front and liberating the southern and eastern regions, as we did with Kharkov and Kherson in September.
Then the Russians, not having a second or third front line, after breaking through their defenses simply began to flee, dropping about 300 pieces of heavy equipment and a huge amount of ammunition on their formerly occupied territory.
Some of this equipment is now being used against them.

In the beginning I did not believe that we would make it, but now all my relatives and I are sure that we will win. 

Yes, it takes a long time, but neither we nor the world were prepared for that.

With faith in victory, we will win.

Another update from Alex in Ukraine – 20230305:

Just wanted to let you know that I’m doing well.
Our volunteers continue to fulfill their mission. 

In February we were able to deliver and distribute over 1000 packages of humanitarian aid to Cherkassky village in the Donetsk region.
These days elder people in Ukraine often receive pensions starting at 2000 hryvnias, which equals $50 per month. Because of the war, the exchange rate has risen and everything has literally doubled in price.
All that is left for the elderly in the villages is to eat food grown on their own plots and expect help from volunteer organizations.  Now, because logistics chains there are not working, volunteers are an important part of helping these people to survive.

Thanks to our team, we are successfully helping these people, as well as homeless people near the front and displaced children who have lost their parents.
The amazing faith of these people and their hope for the best is sometimes astounding. They can stay at home literally one kilometer from the front line, mines and shells can fly into their vegetable garden, the windows in their house have been blown out by blast waves, but they still do not give up and do not go anywhere.

Great respect to our drivers, who fearlessly perform their duty, delivering everything needed to areas such as Bakhmutsky. This is the most tense war zone in our country right now.
More shells are fired there in a day than the world produces in a month. The place is literally buzzing with the roar of explosions. And it doesn’t stop. The site is like another world.

We, in cooperation with a religious mission from Munich, were able to deliver food, fresh vegetables, warm clothes, some medicine, including insulin, sleeping bags and even some gifts for the children in the area.
I won’t lie if I say that it has been the most dangerous humanitarian trip so far.
On behalf of everyone you helped, I want to express my deepest gratitude and appreciation for your help and support.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been a year. We all didn’t expect the country to be able to withstand even three weeks, but that’s how it turned out.
Now it’s clear that the world leaders have nothing to say, they can’t offer a solution to the conflict, so all that’s left to do is fight. And it is being fought at the cost of the lives of Ukrainians.
But we are glad that the West, represented by the United States and the EU, has given us a shoulder to lean on. Without it, we would have been lost a long time ago, and this is a fact.
Our guys will continue to fight and we will continue to help the people whose lives were affected by the war. With your help, they can survive it. And we all believe and hope for a speedy peace!
God bless you and thank you for everything you are doing.

Here’s a fresh update from Alex, on the ground in Ukraine – 20230131:

I’m doing okay. Having gotten used to the fact that electricity is very rare, our team of volunteers continue to provide food assistance to refugees and people living in areas close to the hot spots.

I can’t say that this month was as successful as December in terms of our work, but we still helped quite a large number of people in need and that means it was not in vain for all of us.
I am talking about those from Cherkasskoye village, Donetsk region, for whom we have brought about 500 food packages, residents of Shevchenkovo village, Sumy region, for whom we have sent warm clothes, medicines and canned food and also Mykolaiv and Kherson region, which regularly, every day suffers from artillery fire. There is a constant shortage of drinking water in that region, so we are trying to help them solve this problem. It has been dangerous to work there, but thank God there have been no incidents so far.

Of notable news: in addition to the regular local shelling and bombing by Russia, there was one that really stirred everyone up.
It was a huge five-ton ballistic missile hitting and completely destroying an apartment building, killing almost 50 people and severely injuring 80 more in one fell swoop.
It makes the Ukrainian people very angry and shows the world the methods and goals of the Russian army in the form of such attacks.
Perhaps, in part, this was also the impetus for NATO countries to supply tanks to Ukraine.
This is a big step that will change many things in the long run.
And, to all appearances, it is also being done on the basis of intelligence data about who Putin is preparing another offensive in the spring.

All in all, keep up the fighting spirit, keep working, dress warmer, and don’t forget to charge the power banks all the time.
We will survive the winter, and it should be a little easier by then.
I’m sending some pictures of volunteer work.
Thanks for your support and faith in us!

Update 202211225 from Alex, in Ukraine:

I am glad to report to you that in terms of our volunteer work, this month has gone very well! 

Despite the huge problems with electricity, we have done a lot this month for the people of the recently liberated Kherson region and the northern part of Kharkov region in particular.

As I mentioned before, many people with children remain to live in these cities, and the situation there is difficult. 

The shelling of residential areas takes place several times a week. 

Many troubles and destruction continue to be brought by the Russian invaders even after their retreat to the other side of the Dnieper river.
These are areas close to the front and food suppliers do not yet risk returning there. 

So our humanitarian aid in the form of food is especially needed now.

We have solved a lot of tasks that we set ourselves based on requests from people in need.
We delivered more than 30 tons of vegetables, groats. flour, canned food, water and some medicines to Kherson region.
We sent more furnaces for heating, gas tanks and heating pellets to Saltovka in Kharkiv region, in order to help local residents to survive the cold season, to be able to cook in the absence of gas and electricity and to meet Christmas in warmth.
We distributed food kits to villages on the northern outskirts of the city, such as Mironovka, Belashi, Slatino, and Lesnoe.

We also delivered gifts in the form of packages of sweets to the camp for displaced children from the eastern territories of the country in Mykolaiv region.

Many of these children have lost their homes and some have lost loved ones. We wanted to cheer them up and pamper them to the best of our ability. 

It seems to us that even now Christmas shouldn’t be taken away from the children.
It has been a hard, crazy but very productive month. 

We are glad and very thankful that with your help we are able doing so much good and helping so many people by alleviating their suffering brought on by the war.

I would like to wish you, your family and loved ones happiness and health, a Merry Christmas and happy holidays!

Update 20221018 from Alex, in Ukraine:

Thank you very much for your last donation!!

You can be sure that every penny will be spent helping the people who need it the most.

In fact, we have already spent it and below I will tell you how.

The last ten days have been very difficult. Our country is being hit by every possible means. 

Old Russian cruise missiles, which are not highly accurate, and kamikaze drones, which Russia bought from Iran, are flying into all cities of the country. 

These are X-55, X-101 missiles, and Shahed-136 drones.

They seem to have a lot of these drones. There are 50-70 explosions a day.

No one can say why, but power plants, water pumping stations, heating system stations and other civilian infrastructure are being hit. 

So we are often left without electricity, water and communications.

Perhaps some new general has been appointed in Russia who wants to show leadership, some new tactics, at least some results, I don’t know.  
This is hundreds of kilometers away from the combat zone and essentially has no effect on the course of the battle, but only harms civilians.
Strikes are far from always accurate and often hit residential buildings. 

Those who do not make it to shelter often die or are trapped under rubble.
For example, in our region yesterday, the air-raid alarm was sounded nine times, for a total of almost 16 hours. 

You could hear something exploding all the time. But I can’t say that it scares us like it did at the beginning of the war.

A funny fact. 

While in February the authorities asked us not to panic, not to create a rush in the grocery stores and not to create traffic jams on the roads, now the authorities are asking us not to try to shoot down drones ourselves with firearms.
These things fly very low and not very fast, so some are tempted to shoot them down.
We call them mopeds because of the sound they make or balalaika because of their delta-like shape.

I’m sending you pictures from our most recent humanitarian volunteer trip to the recently liberated town of Liman. 

It had been under occupation for more than six months. 

As I said before, in such places often only elderly people stay, who can’t or don’t want to go anywhere. 

There is no electricity, no water, no gas, no cell phone service, and yet people still live there. 

Personally, I am always impressed by such fortitude. 

With your help and the help of the local church, we organized food packages for people in need.

I am also sending you pictures of our guys evacuating people from the town of Bakhmut, as there is a serious risk that it may soon be occupied by the Russians. 

The fighting is taking place very close to the city and shells are constantly hitting houses. It is dangerous to go there even for two hours, let alone live there. 

So I want to express my great respect for our fearless drivers who agree to go to such hot spots.

We’re hanging in there, we’re working. We are solid and united. We believe in victory and a speedy end to the war.
I don’t think we can be defeated as long as we have that support!

Alex

Update 20220930 from Alex, in Ukraine:

Just wanted to let you know that I am doing well, we continue to work together to help the displaced and people who have been in the occupied territories for months, who have recently been liberated by our military.

A lot has happened in the past month.
I don’t know how much coverage of events in Ukraine is still available in your media, so I’ll tell you for myself.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has been announcing a counter offensive in the south for a long time, but it took place in the north in the Kharkov region.
For 7 months this region suffered the most from Russian artillery and missile attacks. Often completely chaotic, on the city center and residential areas.
In short, the Ukrainian military liberated more territory in 5 days than the Russians captured in 5 months.
At times the situation was such that the Russians retreated before our guys entered a particular city.
Now the news can be read almost in real time and it is difficult to describe the feelings of people when literally every hour news came about the liberation of another city, supported by videos of the Ukrainian flag being planted on the administrative building.
Especially impressive were the videos of ordinary villagers greeting our troops, coming out of their homes, greeting them with hugs, kisses and tears of joy.
Something similar, by the way, often happens to our volunteers. People, though war-weary and tired, are always grateful for help. In the absence of logistics, for many it is a matter of survival.

In September we managed to send 3 trucks of humanitarian aid to the displaced in the village of Tisovets, to local people in Kharkov region at the recently liberated area and even in Donbass.
I am very happy that we manage to help them. Volunteers are now the only way for them to get food and medicine.

Our guys are always actively encouraging people to evacuate, but almost no one agrees. It’s especially difficult with the elderly. They are willing to choose to die at home rather than go into the unknown, leaving their homes.

You may have heard that Putin decided to hold so-called referendums on all the territory he managed to seize. 

The idea is that by declaring these territories Russian, they will begin to mobilize the locals and send Ukrainians to fight Ukrainians. Monstrous Cruelty

Inside Russia mobilization has also begun, with lines of people at the borders who want to avoid it. Putin wants to send up to a million troops to Ukraine.
I don’t know much about military strategy, but it all looks like a tactical failure and a desperate unleashing of an even more brutal and mass slaughter. 

After all, Putin, seeing the lack of support in Ukraine, is doing exactly what he promised not to do, while once again threatening with nuclear weapons.

It has been quiet in our area all month, but in the last 2 days we have been actively attacked by Iranian kamikaze drones. About 8-10 attacks a day now.
Iran is the only country that has helped russia with weapons. And now they are testing these weapons on us. So far they have destroyed two buildings in the city center and damaged dozens.

On the whole, after such a successful counterattack by our guys, many were encouraged and began to believe more in our victory, because the great Russian army turned out to be a bunch of slackers with a stolen budget and lack of motivation. Most of the people there are from the provinces and they go to Ukraine to make money.

Personally, I believe in our victory. 

Yes, it will not be easy, but as long as we have help from friendly countries and help from people like you, we are strong.

Update 20220826 from Alex, in Ukraine:

I’m sorry I haven’t written for a while.

It is so coincidental that August 24, our Independence Day, is exactly six months since the start of the war.
Many had fears that there would be many attacks on that day and they were not in vain. On that day there were a record number of air raids across the country (over 200). There were many dead and wounded.
It seems that the Russian army leadership likes symbolism…

In general, if you are interested in first hand news, I can say that with the exception of August 24, the last month has been relatively quiet in our region.
Yes, from time to time there are missile attacks outside city limits, but this is what we have got used to it. Actually after more than 3000 missiles shot at us there is a feeling that the Russians began to save missiles, because the price of each is equal to the price of 4-6 tanks, and they often hit just about anywhere. It happens that they even fall into the sea or in the field by themselves or even fall right near where launched. Corruption in the Russian military sector and the lack of proper maintenance of such sophisticated weaponry have their effects.
The main battles are still concentrated in Kharkov, Donetsk, Zaporozhye and Nikolayev Regions.

The Zaporizhzhya region, where Europe’s largest nuclear power plant is located and around which shells are constantly falling, should be singled out. It makes all of us tense.
Our people remember the disaster at Chernobyl very well and understand very well how dangerous this situation can be.

I do not know if this can be called a success, but over the past month the Russians have not managed to capture any significant territories. The supply of defensive weapons helps a lot, because our defenders use them every day to destroy the ammunition depots of the Russians in the areas they have seized. This is done with astonishing accuracy and frequency. This, in fact, helped to stop their advance.
Yesterday Putin even had to sign a law to increase the size of the army, even though the Russian army is already several times larger and better armed than ours. (less than 700,000 in our service and more than 2 million in theirs).
Without being overly patriotic, I can say that we do give a good fight back.

All we want is to be left alone and allowed to live in peace and independence away from all those imperial principles and ideas of the crazy sick old man in the bunker.

As for our volunteer work, it does not stop and is now more targeted and focused on areas close to the fighting.
People there in the vast majority of cases remain without electricity, gas and, as a consequence of damaged communications, without drinking water.
Yes, most of the population in such zones has been evacuated, but there are also many people who categorically refuse to leave their homes. That is their right, their courage.
Our task is to organize supplies for them, so that they can survive this time while our defenders drive the occupant out of their region.

Unfortunately, our aid center in Bakhmut, Donetsk region, from which I previously sent you photos, was destroyed by enemy artillery fire and now in this city we had to organize again the distribution of humanitarian aid right in the street.
As always, it was food, water, medicine, insulin, diapers, and baby food.
People are very grateful. After all, they wouldn’t have survived without this help.
This work is very important and we all hope that we can continue our work as long as there is a need.

Update 20220628 from Alex, in Ukraine:

Just wanted to share the results of the past two weeks. We were able to make two deliveries of humanitarian supplies:
In the Kiev region we delivered food kits to help needy local elderly people who were left homeless because of the war,
In Kirovograd region we delivered food to a camp for orphans from a boarding school in Severnaya Saltovka. 

For the most part the guys are on the positive side. 

They are happy that they do not have to spend nights in basements hiding from artillery fire anymore.

However, it will definitely leave its mark on their psyche, especially after what they saw with their own eyes.

I would like to thank you again on behalf of all Ukrainians who suffered from this war, but are trying to stay strong during this difficult time.

Most of all, we all here wish it would be over soon so we could start rebuilding. 

But, unfortunately, the Russians are not retreating and are fighting, not abandoning their attempts to seize even those territories from which they had previously retreated.
But even more perplexing are the acts of true terror, like yesterday’s destruction of a shopping mall in Kremenchug when hundreds of civilians were there.  

This was no accident, as there were two missiles.

This sort of thing happens regularly, and civilians are killed every day. We all feel angry and helpless at the same time. 

After all, there is a huge amount of Russian military equipment in our country right now, and it is clear that it will not be possible to get them out of here quickly.

As I said earlier, we wouldn’t have lasted even a month if not for such active support from Europe and the United States. 

I can’t tell you how grateful we all are and how much we owe you!

Update 20220614 from Alex, in Ukraine:

Today is the 110th day of our defense.

It’s hard even to believe that so much time has passed.
Our city remains an important target for the Russian Navy. Every day, against the background of sirens, one can hear the work of the air defense system several times.

According to the Defense Ministry, more than 2,500 missiles have already been fired at us.

The fighting is now concentrated near Donetsk, Kharkov, and Kherson.
It is Kherson that is closest to our city. At times, the rumble of some of the explosions can even be heard here.

Obviously, we couldn’t have survived this long without support from Europe and the United States.
My brother in law still remains in captivity and there is no news from him.
From time to time the sides exchange prisoners, but as a rule they are severely wounded soldiers.

In the occupied territories, the Russians cut off Ukrainian communications and television. They are trying to create an occupation government.
They try to organize their own propaganda, trucks with big screens drive through the streets they have destroyed, broadcasting news about the “victories” of the Russian army over the “neo-Nazis” and the Nato.
I can still understand when people in Russia believe this, but it’s the height of cynicism and mockery to tell this nonsense to those whose homes they destroyed.

As you can imagine, people don’t like it very much. But any rallies are severely suppressed, and participants are arrested.
It all reminds me more and more of George Orwell’s 1984.

One of our humanitarian aid was sent to Irpen, which was the epicenter of Russian concentration on the approach to Kiev. 

For more than a month, the city has been cleared of mines and people now have the opportunity to return to their homes. At least those that are more or less intact.
Traces of the war look horrific, but life goes on and the locals are positive and optimistic.

These people have been very grateful for the help.
This is only possible because of donations.

Alex

Update 20220528 from Alex, in Ukraine:

This time we managed to deliver humanitarian aid to several villages in Zaporozhye region: Novoalexandrovka, Veselyanka, Yulievka.
Bread, canned goods, cereals, cookies, baby food, vegetables and even sweets for children.

People there live poor, but they don’t want to leave their homes, even though the fighting is already taking place quite close to them.
There are problems with food supplies in these villages.
Many men from these villages went to the war, and those people, children and elderly people who stayed were insanely grateful for the help.

Other than that, I can’t say that anything good has happened in the last 2 weeks.
I think you saw the news that after being in the ring for more than 2 months, the last Ukrainian soldiers from Azovstal came out and surrendered.

Also, the situation in the Donetsk region is not very good.
The Russians have brought in a huge amount of equipment and military and are trying their best to take over the region.
And, I must admit, slowly but surely, they are making some progress in this.
There is no way the Russians want to leave.

I know that a large amount of defensive equipment is on its way from the U.S. and the EU.
Also a huge number of recruits are now being retrained to be proficient with foreign equipment.
I really hope this helps deter these invaders.
In the meantime, with your help we’re doing everything we can to alleviate the suffering of those touched by war.

Update 20220506 from Alex, in Ukraine:

A little update on our work.

In the past 2 weeks we have been able to organize 3 deliveries of provisions, food, baby food and diapers to different regions of our country. We choose the areas where it is hardest for people.
One truck went to Kirovograd region, delivering vegetables, cereals, oil and other products, which were distributed in the form of food kits for distribution at the local community center

Another truck was sent to the village of Malinovka in Chernihiv region, where there are now quite a few displaced people from the eastern regions and from Kharkiv, which is currently under siege.

Another truck delivered humanitarian aid (mostly baby food and diapers) to the relief center at St. Nicholas Church in Rogoziv, Kyiv region.

That’s all we’ve been able to do so far. 
Without you it would not have been possible!

On the whole, I would call the situation stable but tense. In the last week there has been a significant increase in rocket attacks across the country. We live on a schedule and we already know that there will be air raids and explosions steadily every day by 8 p.m. 
Thank goodness that most people take the air-raid alarm seriously and take cover. This reduces the number of casualties and injuries. But it is impossible to avoid them. 
This week in our town, a section of the local dormitory blew up, killing two children and severely injuring two adults. They were in hiding, but it didn’t help.

One gets the impression that the Russians realize that their “special operation” has gone on too long, there are no victories, and now they are trying very hard to achieve some goals before May 9. So that the president has something to brag about to his people. The cost of this is simply unimaginable.  

We are trying to be strong and do what we can to help those who need it most.

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Update 20220423 from Alex, in Ukraine:

You and a few other people who are still supporting us are literally saving lives! Please keep doing what you are doing. This is extremely important.
I won’t hide the fact that sometimes I get desperate, but my volunteer work is something that is distracting and empowering.I’m so glad I have this opportunity to help, thanks to you.

Today, right in the middle of the day on Christian Easter Eve, as everyone was getting ready for the holiday, the Russians fired missiles at a residential neighborhood in my city.
This is the first time that bombs in Odessa have hit multistory apartment buildings.
I was not far away and I can’t even describe to you the horror that overwhelms people at such moments…
Everyone is screaming, no one knows where to run or where to hide, because the explosions were chaotic throughout the area and happened every minute. There were six in total, but it seemed like it lasted for hours.
A three-month-old baby was killed, and so far there are six dead and 18 wounded, but rescuers have not yet been able to remove the rubble from the destroyed houses.

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Update 20220420 from Alex, in Ukraine, near Odessa:

I’ve got an update!

Overall, the situation in Odessa remains calm. A couple of times a week they shoot down Russian drones and the air defense works on missiles flying by.
Surprisingly, not a single bomb has fallen on our city in the last week.
They even removed some of the anti-tank barriers and roadblocks from our roads.
It’s a small positive change, but it affects the mood of the citizens.
The weather in Odessa is finally getting warm and the trees are starting to bloom. It’s also energizing in a way!I even had a chance to go to the beach once. I know one place that isn’t mined.
I understand from the news that the Russians are concentrating all their forces to attack the eastern areas. Among other things, Russians are heavily shelling the city of Nikolaev, which is the border between us and them. In fact, Mykolaiv is now our shield. The border between peace and death and destruction.

Due to the shelling and destruction of the water pipeline by the occupants, the city of Mykolaiv has been without water for eight days.
The Internet is full of photos of people taking water from ponds. The problem is pretty serious.
The recovery of water supply to the city of half a million people is severely hampered by the degree of destruction of the water pipeline and the danger of constant shelling by Russian troops.
Thanks to your last help and the help of some of our local people, today a group of our volunteers have delivered to Mykolaiv and distributed to citizens more than 3 tons of bottled water.
The entire amount dispersed in about 10 minutes. Most of the water went to the elderly and women.
This problem with drinking water must be solved as soon as possible to prevent an outbreak of infectious diseases in Mykolaiv.
And we are planning the next delivery.

Earlier we also managed to deliver two trucks of humanitarian aid to other regions of the country.
There we have long been asked to help with specific things (food kits, medicine and baby food), but now we need more time to raise money even for such not very large deliveries of humanitarian aid.

We delivered food to the canteen at the regional hospital in the city of Sumy. There are people who were wounded by shelling in neighboring Kharkov and its province. It is also a shelter for many people and children who lost homes and staying there.Hospital basements are not a very nice and comfortable place, but at least they are safe from bombings there.
We also took food, water and diapers to the city of Chernihiv and distributed them at two relief centers.
Also in Chernihiv we gave our soldiers 80 first aid kits they asked us for.

Now many thousands of Ukrainians are volunteering for the army because they want to protect their land. The Ministry of Defense is simply unable to cope with the number of needs that arise at the moment.
We now have a specific goal – to raise a sum to provide stuff from a specific list of things for one of the territorial defense brigades from Odessa, which will soon go to Mykolaiv as reinforcements to protect us.
This brigade needs body armor, first-aid kits, bandages, and thermal underwear.
These guys are our hope for the world right now.
Judging by what the “Russian world” leaves behind, any city they’ve been to has been turned into ruins.
So I hope we’ll be able to supply our guys with everything we need.

Update 20220415 from Alex, in Ukraine, near Odessa:

We don’t have a website. There is no time to do social networking, besides the Internet is not working very well now and not all areas of the city have a good connection.

All the funds I managed to collect were from my friends pilots and aviation enthusiasts from USA and Europe and their friends, whom they involved to help.
So it turned out to be a sort of community of fellow pilots who helped hundreds of people stay okay and even helped some of them to survive.

All that money was spent in a way that would help as many people as possible and do it quickly.

So far we have managed to do quite a few things. 
But the problems aren’t getting any smaller. 
Unfortunately people are no longer donating as actively as they did in the beginning though.

However, we try to work even with small amounts of money and help solve local problems.
For example, we helped with medical supplies and medicine after the last missile attack in Odessa.
They hit a military unit at night when young soldiers were brought there to be sworn in. One of the missiles hit the barracks and killed 58 men at once. 75 more were wounded.
After that, it was in our region that things calmed down somewhat. Missiles are still flying over us, but they are usually directed to other regions. They are launched from ships in the waters of the Black Sea.
A few days ago our Odessans managed to sink the Russian flagship Moscow.
Their ships felt at home here and they were often seen from the shore and even the naked eye could see them launching missiles at us.
They say it was their most important ship. The other ships have now moved farther away and cannot be seen.
This should certainly raise the morale of the soldiers defending the cities.

At this point between us and the Russians stands the city of Nikolaev, which is heavily shelled every day and night. Today they bombed a food market, killing dozen civillians.Houses in the sleeping areas are being destroyed every day there. In the last week alone, almost 25,000 people were evacuated from Mykolaiv to us in Odessa.

Bucha has shocked me to the core and even changed something in me. These fascists inhumanly and cold-bloodedly destroy cities of our country, rape, torture, execute, burn and crush with nannies the most ordinary inhabitants of cities and villages.
These are freaks who are not worthy to be called human at all.

The thing is that my father comes from a village next to Bucha, and I have relatives there.  We haven’t been able to get in touch for a month.
Thank God they’re alive, but what they had to endure is beyond anyone’s wishes.
My aunt and cousin lived in a basement with their children for a month, because there was shooting and occupants around. A combat drone fell on her vegetable garden, and a tank shot into the neighboring house. It was just crazy.
Basically, the entire northern outskirts of Kiev were very badly damaged.
There is still no electricity, no gas, and no communications.
I just want you to know the information firsthand, Mickey. What’s on TV and what’s in the news articles is only a small part of the chaos that’s going on here.
I really Hope for your help in future. 

Update 20220407 from Alex, on the ground in Ukraine:

I have another little update for you.

Not without difficulties, we were able to send three truckloads of humanitarian aid to different parts of Ukraine

One truck with provisions and medicine went to the evangelist church in Pervomaisk in our neighboring Mykolaiv region to distribute to the needy among the local population.
The city of Mykolaiv is under fire every day, regularly hitting residential areas. Dozens of civilians have been killed and hundreds wounded there in the past few days.

Two other trucks went to the village of Orlovka to the Mother and Child Home and to a local aid center in the village of Koryukovka in the Chernihiv region.
This is a region north of Kiev. Russian troops have recently retreated from this area. From there they are now regrouping to the East and to us, to the South.
Now we’ve spent almost all of our funds on this, and now we really need support. Perhaps you have been able to find someone who has the ability to support us with donations?
I am not clear about Putin’s tactics. He destroyed hundreds of cities in the north and around Kiev, wreaked havoc for a month, set up blockades, and then simply abandoned everything and moved his troops elsewhere, leaving the ruins behind him. Leaving Bucha behind, revealing the true face and purpose of his hateful “special military operation.
I say this often, but again, I find it hard to believe everything that is going on.
What is this all about? What is the goal?
Maybe you, as an outside observer, can answer that. Because I just don’t understand.

I’ve attached pictures of the strikes on Odessa. These are the missiles that hit the targets.
That’s me at a crater from a missile hit in a field less than 5 kilometers from my house.
You can’t tell from the photo, but this crater is about 5 meters deep.
Among the wreckage I found identification numbers, judging it to be a Kalibr missile, with an explosive weight of 250 kilograms.

These missiles are flying to us from Crimea.
With its blast wave it can destroy and severely damage several houses if it falls more closely.

Update 20220329 from Alex:

“While many cities continue to be destroyed, we in our side are trying to do everything we can to solve the humanitarian problems and mitigate the effects of the fighting.
There are so many requests that we can’t always solve. However, we have been able to do something lately!
We found, bought and donated medicine and surgical consumables that we were asked for at Odessa City Children’s Hospital #2.
Domestically, about 7 million people have already become local refugees. Some of them are from cities that were under fire or a humanitarian blockade. Among them are many children. They are our main priority.

Now we have problems with transport communication with neighboring Nikolayev and Kherson. There are humanitarian green corridors, but they are constantly shelled by the Russians, so we can’t work in that direction yet.
However, the food situation in Kiev is becoming difficult as well right now. Our volunteers managed to deliver a fairly large load of provisions for distribution to the needy at the Kiev Evangelical Church “Kovcheg”

3500 liters of water
1300 canned food
100 kilos of cookies
400 kilograms of spaghetti
30 kilos of buckwheat (it’s not so easy to find now)
300 kilos of sugar
200 loaves of bread
180 pcs of instant noodles
and some other things that the people at their shelter have asked us for.

Also, we were able to send two truckloads of supplies, water, diapers, baby food, clothing, personal hygiene products and basic necessities to the supply center in Zaporozhye.
I think this amount should be enough for at least a week.

Our volunteers have bought bunker beds, mattresses, blankets and set up 25 places to sleep in a bomb shelter in Odessa Children’s Infectious Diseases Hospital. More and more often the air-raid sirens sound in our city at night. Now children will be able to sleep safely during the alarm.

When we run out of funds, we do things that don’t cost that much. We continue to fill sandbags on the beaches and help build defensive fortifications for our soldiers on the main streets of Odessa.
Drawing on experience in cities where there are active battles (Kiev, Kharkov, Mariupol), we continue to install anti-tank structures throughout the historic center of the city.
We have such a beautiful city with beautiful historic buildings. We love it very much and we want to protect it as much as we can.

I keep telling everyone how much help we are getting from our friends from Europe!
All of these things are only made possible because of people like you, Mikey!
We really hope for your support in the future if this won’t end soon. For some it is the only way to make it through…”

Update 20220317 below from Alex.

RV-6 pilot Alex Gorbachenko is working to help people in need as a result of the war there. The easiest way to help him is to send a paypal donation to fonatig@gmail.com.

“Food, water, diapers, basic necessities, medicine, insulin. All of this we buy and send to the front lines or give to those refugees who need it most.”

Here’s a video of Viktor flying: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGCodQB-eGE

“Also, here are some pictures of our volunteers collecting, sorting and delivering humanitarian aid for people who have lost their homes. You can see me carrying boxes in one of the pictures.
In fact, this is what we do most of all right now. 
Food, water, diapers, basic necessities, medicine, insulin. All of this we buy and send to the front lines or give to those refugees who need it most.

I hope we’ll get some help. Right now we need support the most! It will save lives…” -Alex Gorbachenko

I think we’ve all seen that these are people in need, so if you can donate a bit of money, it will help them. Here is Alex’s paypal address: fonatig@gmail.com I’ve sent $100 this morning. I think I can skip a few dinners out and send more soon.

Update 20220317: “So far, lately our city has been relatively quiet, and the air-raid sirens are sounding a little less frequently. This has allowed us to devote more time to our work. We have loaded 2 big trucks with provisions, medicine, baby food and diapers.
Took what the medics asked us to bring them to the burn unit of the child hospital
Distributed water and food kits to shelters and individual families who are staying in their homes in neighboring regions.I’m sending you some pictures
This all was made possible thanks to you too!Please share that we need help. Maybe someone you know can help us as well. Any support is important and very appreciated!”