August 13th, 2026
71,963 people evacuated from danger to date
95 people evacuated from danger this week
39 trips into deoccupied and frontline territories this week
With deep sadness, we are observing the “Khersonization” of Kharkiv. The increasingly frequent reports of dangers and risks within the city sound all too familiar, as sightings of more advanced Russian FPV drones become an everyday reality.
A volunteer in the city writes:
The situation remains tense. There are constant drone attacks. It's frightening to walk around the city, because at any moment drones may start buzzing above you. Shelling is also a regular occurence. Things are not quiet here — they are dangerous.
Another volunteer adds:
Yes, I'm starting to feel that soon it will be like Kherson here, or like Nikopol’, because every day 50 drones come flying into buildings, into cars, into anything indiscriminately… I can't keep up with some of the requests for help.
It breaks our hearts to watch this happen. The brutal onslaught makes us ever more grateful for the opportunity to support the volunteers, as they support local civilians — boarding over windows where shells hit, providing aid to those most in need, and evacuating people from places that are far more unsafe, even compared to battered Kharkiv.
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The Labor of Kharkiv Volunteers
As the security situation in Kharkiv deteriorates, we pause to take stock of how the efforts of our Ukrainian volunteers adapt to new challenges, concentrating where help is needed most. We are proud of the magniture of their work.
Serhiy T. and his team feed about 1,500 people every week at their soup kitchen.
Timur’s team has long supported residents of Saltivka — the Kharkiv neighborhood that suffered most from Russian shelling early in the war, and one that Russian drones are now terrorizing again, making his work more urgent than ever.
Inna's Kharkiv branch works mostly with teenagers and children, offering support, guidance, and a safe space to be together.
When Darya, isn't out on evacuations, she takes part in the citywide effort to board up blown-out windows, of which there are many.
Vitaliy’s team works tirelessy in some of the most dangerous and resource-deprived areas of Ukrainian-held Donetsk and Kharkiv regions to deliver aid, and evacuate people and animals from the most hellish spots.
None of these efforts are formally coordinated with one another, yet together they significantly ease human suffering. We are grateful for the resources that make the work possible. Kharkiv is one of the many places where UTC’s Ukrainian volunteers are making a real difference.
Team Summaries
Alina H.’s Team – Dobra sprava (Good Deeds)
9 trips, evacuating 48 people, 39 of them elderly.
Inna’s Team – Krok z nadiyeyu (Step with Hope)
7,300 people received aid.
Bread distributed to 4,200 people.
15.4 tons of goods provided.
The team was present in 30 locations, 10 of them in high-risk zones.
Kherson team refueled 8 generators in red zones and cleaned 3 basements.
Oleksandr D’s Volunteer Networks
Vladyslav K. (Mykolaiv): in addition to the lack of drinkable water in the city (city water is not fit for drinking), Mykolaiv has experienced almost daily tap water shutoffs due to emergencies. The team delivered 35 tons of drinking water to Mykolaiv.
Vitaliy Z. (Kharkiv): delivered 4 tons of humanitarian kits, clothes, medicine, and animal feed to Stepne in the Kramatorsk community. Distributed over 500 loaves of “Victory” bread in Vil'khuvatka, Izium District. Evacuated 6 people and 1 pet from dangerous areas: a woman and her dog from Kramatorsk; another woman and her son (both with limited mobility), also from Kramatorsk; 2 women with disabilities from Yasnohirka; and a woman from Sloviansk.The departure from Sloviansk was difficult because of the large number of FPV drones.
Artem S. (Hostomel’): delivered 2.5 tons of food and used clothes to the village of Levkiv, Zhytomyr Region. Together with another NGO, organized the distribution of aid to the villages of Horenka and Moshchun in the Hostomel’ community. Transferred part of the aid to a church in Hostomel’ for further distribution. In all, about 400 people received aid.
Hryhoriy M. (Tal’ne): held an event for 90 children and their parents, offering psychological support, classes, singing, games, and meals to children from large families, orphans, and children of fallen soldiers. Transportation was provided for children from the surrounding villages. Volunteers also served as teachers and counselors at a youth camp in Lysyanka, Mykolaiv Region.
Oksana K. (Lutsk): distributed 110 kg of adult diapers and urological pads to elderly and disabled people. Handed out baby boxes to 2 expecting families. Sent 50 kg of food products to wounded military patients in Lutsk.
Oleksandr Z. (Lutsk): provided therapeutic interventions and aid to internally displaced people (IDPs), children and adults with disabilities, children from large families and military families, veterans and their families, orphans, elderly people, and amputees in the Lutsk territorial community. 1,224 children and adults received help, including art therapy, music therapy, zootherapy, sports activities, a visit to the museum, help with bread and other food, help with glasses, dental, medical, and preventive procedures, psychological support, and help with the manufacture of wheelchairs for children and prostheses and rehabilitation for adults.
Darya’s Team
Evacuated 14 people from Kut’kivka, Doroshivka, Kasyanivka, Kup’jevaha, Zhukiv Yar, and Shypuvate.
242 packages delivered.
Karina’s Team – My ryatuyemo Ukrayinu (We Save Ukraine)
93 people in the shelter.
Tetiana’s Team – Dopomoha poruch (Help Is Near)
Delivered 120 aid packages and cleaning products in the village of Odnorobivka, Kharkiv Region.
Distributed 100 aid packages and cleaning products to internally displaced refugees and disabled people in Ternivka, Cherkasy Region.
Natasha’s Team – Volontersʹkyy tsentr Vyshnya (Cherry Volunteer Center)
237 packages delivered to Kramatorsk for IDPs from Lyman.
Evacuated 1 elderly person, his dog and cat to Kyiv.
Timur’s Team – Komanda Teymura Alyeva (Timur Alyev’s Team)
Distributed 286 aid packages in Saltivka, Kharkiv.
Special deliveries to 33 disabled elderly and 13 families with infants.
A Russian rocket hit a building in the neighborhood, killing an elderly man, who was one of their aid recipients.
Pavel and Olena’s Teams – Dotyk sertsya (Touch of Heart) & Svitanok mriy (Dawn of Dreams)
181 families received aid in Liubomyrivka and Dobrokam’yanka.
111 IDP families from the Kherson Region received aid in Mykolaiv.
PomahaemFoundation (We Help Foundation)
166 people arrived at Volos’ke shelter.
Alina S.’s Team – Dity novoho pokolinnya (Children of the New Generation)
7 trips made. Evacuated 23 people.
Evacuations came from the Dnipropetrovsk Region villages of Shakhtarsk, Mezhova, Vasyl’kivka, Dubovyky, and Porkovsk, and from Komar, in the Donetsk Region.
In addition to evacuations, the team transported 26 people from the hub in Stepove to the railroad station in Dnipro, to send them on the way to their new home.
Marina’s Team – Daruy dobrо Ukrayina (Give Good Ukraine)
Food and hygiene kits were distributed to 150 IDP families in Zhovti Vody.
8 packages were sent to families with disabled children in different parts of Ukraine.
Dina’s Team – Vilʹni lyudy, vilʹna krayina (Free People, Free Country)
Distributed 275 packages in Kaniv, Kremenchuk, and Poltava.
Served 1,490 meals in the soup kitchen in Kharkiv.
Delivered 400 packages to towns in the Kharkiv Region.
Bohdan’s Team — Vse robymo sami (We Do Everything Ourselves)
Food and hygiene kits were distributed to 42 families in Zhytomyr.
At the Club for Children with Disabilities, the children participated in cooking and art classes and in memory exercises.
Alena’s Team – Diva (Virgo)
Distributed bread to 336 families.
How to Help
Donate — The money goes directly to teams providing aid on the ground, who respond dynamically to the most urgent needs.
Fundraise — Organize fundraisers at your school, work, place of worship, with friends and family, etc.
Spread the word — Share our website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Bluesky Social with your friends, family, and colleagues.
Fill out this form if you’re interested in volunteering with us, and we’ll let you know when opportunities come up.
Download and print our flyer. Ask your local coffee shop if you can add it to the bulletin, or use it as part of your fundraiser.
