Last week marked a familiar trend, with Russia’s brutality reaching new highs. In their attack last Sunday, Russian forces deployed a record of 805 drones. At this point in the war it can be hard to be shocked by these numbers, but we must resist the tendency to normalize such inhumane attacks on Ukraine’s civilian population.

We sometimes end a fundraising or event speech with the words “don’t forget about Ukraine”. It is more than a cliche; it is incredibly important that despite all the other challenges in our lives we remember what is going on in Ukraine every day. 

Last week several UTC volunteers and over 100 other participants took part part in the Scranton 4 Ukraine 5K run. The fourth annual run raised thousands of dollars for Ukraine TrustChain, which we will use to deliver critically needed aid. Perhaps just as importantly, the run reconnected hundreds of Americans to Ukraine; we hope that this connection will persist. 

Every time the American government and Western media discuss the possibility of a peace deal, there is a deterioration of the situation on the ground in Ukraine. While the front line has remained largely stable in recent days. Russia’s increased violence has killed and displaced many civilians. We have seen a growing stream of refugees heading West out of the Donbas.

A significant frontline shift near the town of Dobropillya is cutting off key highways our teams have used from the start of the war to deliver life-saving aid to the Donbas. The volunteers we support are fearless people, but we encourage them not to take unnecessary risks at this precarious moment.

After 10 days of escalating, well organized, but peaceful mass demonstrations, the Ukrainian government reversed its decision to weaken the independence of the country’s anti-corruption agencies. restoring their independence.

The ability of Ukrainian society to self-organize and advocate for its institutions with clarity and force in the middle of a brutal war is remarkable.

While at a distance the war in Ukraine seems to be at a standstill, volunteers on the ground are witnessing developments that are moving in an alarming direction. Our evacuation teams have had to adjust their routes again this week. Last week, the town of Bilyts’ke became a drone kill zone. Thanks to your support, evacuations were able to continue until the very last possible day.

On numerous occasions, we’ve been asked how we ensure that the money we send to Ukraine goes to the intended purposes, in a country notorious for its corruption. Our confidence is based on our deep personal connections and daily communication with our Ukrainian volunteers and their communities. We combine these personal relationships with extensive transparent reporting on the volunteers’ activities, which we get from multiple sources and monitor for consistency across channels.

This week there have been attacks on major and minor cities across Ukraine — from Lutsk, to Bila Tserkva, to Kharkiv. Missions to the East have also become increasingly stressful. Yet the number of trips and people receiving assistance from our Ukrainian volunteers each week has held steady, with 37 missions into frontline zones and more than 30,000 people receiving help.

On Thursday we spent the night in contact with our Kyiv volunteers who, though used to many horrors, were struggling to stay calm as 550 drones hit Kyiv. The next morning, Kyiv was covered in smoke, as if from wildfires. Against this background, the news about the US decision to discontinue shipments of air defense ammunition to Ukraine was especially painful. We hope that this decision will be partially reversed, but we do not understand why American support for Ukraine has to waver so much.

Sadly, the Dnipropetrovsk Region is becoming part of the front line. Multiple villages on the region’s border are being destroyed and locals are evacuating from these areas. Dobra sprava evacuated 32 children last week. This advancing front line feels like a fresh wound both to the volunteers and the local residents, who hoped that the Dnipropetrovsk Region would remain relatively safe. Attacks directly on Dnipro are also becoming more frequent and severe.

In May and June this year, Russia has launched nearly 4,000 kamikaze drones monthly against Ukrainian cities, targeting civilians. Though these assaults now barely register in international headlines, they profoundly impact our friends in Ukraine and their loved ones. Despite being sleep-deprived and embittered by these nightly assaults, our volunteers refuse to slow down: they continue their critical missions. We take pride in knowing that Ukraine TrustChain's support enables these heroes to channel their righteous anger into meaningful action. We thank you for your support.

Evacuated people often ask teams to thank Americans for helping them. A team members says: “We want to affirm that we are proud of our friendship with your team and the caring people of America.”

Last week, Ukraine had cause to celebrate: the historic operation of Ukraine’s secret service blew up a quarter of Russia’s strategic bombers. Russia retaliated by bombed residential areas, hit a maternity ward in Odesa, killed children in Kharkiv, and terrorized Kyivans for two nights with swarms of kamikaze drones, but the Ukrainian spirit stayed strong and our underslept volunteers continued their daily glorious work.

“Greetings to you, friends…Over the past week, we completed 12 trips and evacuated 54 people…The enemy continues to advance toward Druzhkivka, bypassing Kostiantynivka from the West. Every night, Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka, and Mykolaivka suffer attacks from FABs, Shaheds, or ballistic missiles. Negotiations continue, but the enemy is clearly aiming to destroy and then seize the Donetsk Region without regard for civilian casualties. We continue our mission.”

It’s become almost a tradition that each time Western media hypes up the likelihood of a ceasefire, Russia launches large-scale airstrikes against civilians in Ukrainian cities.

A key route our Dnipro volunteers use to deliver aid to Donbas has come under attack. This is a symptom reflecting a larger trend of continued fighting with slow encroachment of Russian forces on Ukrainian territory. Despite these developments, the teams were busy delivering bread, water, and agricultural supplies.

Despite Russia’s public declarations of a ceasefire during the May holidays, our teams on the ground report that the so-called “quiet” in the Donbas has existed in name only.

All is (not) quiet on the Eastern front. Ukrainian cities suffered airstrikes on each of the last seven days. The approaching bacchanalia of Victory Day celebrations in Russia resulted in an increased number of attacks along the entire frontline. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian teams completed more than 100 missions, 40 of them in high-risk areas.

Last week, attacks on Ukrainian cities continued alongside relentless combat on the contact line. More Russian drones are reaching cities as intercept rates decline.