March 26th, 2026
70,237 people evacuated from danger to date
45 people evacuated from danger this week
23 trips into deoccupied and frontline territories this week
For the fourth consecutive year, Ukraine TrustChain has coordinated the distribution of heating fuel to families across the war-affected regions of Ukraine. This year's effort reached 7,880 households across 66 locations in seven regions — Kharkiv, Ukrainian-held Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, and Mykolaiv — delivering approximately 1,580 tons of fuel briquettes and 4,100 cubic meters of firewood.
This winter proved to be the most challenging yet. Unusually cold temperatures combined with Russia’s increasingly effective targeting of the Ukrainian energy infrastructure, leaving millions of people without reliable heating during bitter colds. Many recipients were internally displaced families who had just fled advancing Russian forces, particularly in the Dnipropetrovsk Region, which saw a massive influx of refugees as frontlines shifted.
Four dedicated teams made the distributions possible.
Inna Kampen's Krok z nadiyeyu (Step with Hope) delivered 3,100 cubic meters (2,170 tons) of firewood to 1,550 families across 30 locations, spanning four regions and including shelters housing displaced persons in Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Pavlohrad.
Within Oleksandr Davydiuk's network of teams, Vitaliy Zhuchkov coordinated the eastern operations, reaching 5,424 families in 28 communities, from the heavily shelled Balakliia District in the Kharkiv Region, to Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. In addition to fuel briquettes, Vitaliy also distributed 1,000 cubic meters of firewood.
Another of Oleksandr Davydiuk’s teams, headed by Vladyslav Kucheryavenko focused on the villages of the Mykolaiv Region, delivering over 166 tons of briquettees to 554 households.
The joint teams of Pavel and Olena Shulha worked through Dotyk sertsya (Touch of Heart) Foundation to deliver 253 tons of briquettes to 906 families in eight communities across Mykolaiv and Kherson regions, many of which had earlier been under Russian occupation. The residents of these communities, some of whom were left without documents after their homes burned, would have been forced to burn furniture or garbage to survive, if not for the fuel deliveries.
Unlike last year, when volunteers were wounded during fuel distribution, this year we breathed a sigh of relief when the operations concluded safely with no injuries. However, danger remained ever-present, with one distribution in a Mykolaiv Region village interrupted by a nearby explosion, forcing recipients to scatter to nearby shelters before returning hours later to collect their fuel.
For thousands of families — elderly living alone, parents keeping children warm in just one room, grandparents raising orphaned grandchildren — this fuel was not just about comfort. It was survival.
Winter Heating 2025-2026: Warmth for Nearly 8,000 Ukrainian Families
Stories
Sofiia’s Family Reunites in Kharkiv
This week’s update from the front lines brings a heartening conclusion to a story we first shared in our March 5th newsletter. You may remember the two inseperable teenagers, Mykhailo (18) and Sofiia (16), who evacuated together from Mykolaivka with their beloved dog, Baksik. While they reached the relative safety of Kharkiv weeks ago, Sofiia’s father, Oleksandr, had stayed behind to care for his elderly parents, who were initially unwilling to leave.
But the Dobra sprava team kept at it. The volunteers made five separate visits to Oleksandr and his parents, building trust and offering support. Now, we are overjoyed to report that the entire family has finally been reunited. Oleksandr and Sofiia’s grandparents are now safe in Kharkiv; the family is once again complete. In a week marked by intense shelling and rising "critical" alerts across the Donetsk Region, this reunion serves as a powerful reminder of the persistent, human-centered work our volunteers perform every day.
Frontline Edges Closer to Key Hubs
This week’s report from Dobra sprava also highlights growing tension, as the front line edges closer to key towns. In a symbolic and sobering development, Ihor witnessed the removal of Sloviansk’s trolleybuses from the town and the dismantling of their overhead wiring networks: a clear sign that Sloviansk is bracing for the worst. Throughout Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, anti-drone nets are being installed at a rapid pace and mandatory evacuations have been declared for families with children in the districts closest to the fighting.
The situation is increasingly serious in the directions of rural settlements, such as Mykolaivka and Raihorodok, where the presence of the war is felt at every turn. Ihor recounts a tense evacuation from Mykolaivka in which his team passed advanced robotic equipment, heading into the city as the volunteers were driving out. Even the roads themselves bear witness to the intensity: on one mission, the team stopped to assist a group of exhausted soldiers whose vehicle had been incinerated, safely transporting one to a checkpoint to call for help. Despite these harrowing sights, the work continues unabated, as the team navigates flooded rivers and shelled routes to bring the vulnerable to safety.
Karina’s Team Pivots to Mail
Despite escalating challenges, Karina’s team successfully delivered 296 humanitarian aid kits to Nikopol’ via mail. This shift in logistics was necessary because their driver—a 2022 military volunteer — has been drafted for a second tour of duty and can no longer make the trip.
Once the shipment arrived, a local volunteer managed the distribution during a brief window of calm amidst heavy shelling and drone attacks. Families were able to collect essential supplies, including flour, pasta, oil, and tea.
Team Summaries
Alina’s Team – Dobra sprava (Good Deeds)
9 trips, evacuating 42 people, 12 of them with movement impairments.
Inna’s Team – Krok z nadiyeyu (Step with Hope)
7,900 people received help.
4,500 people received bread.
20.1 tons of aid delivered to 33 locations, 11 of them in high-risk areas.
Kherson team evacuated 1 perons from Kherson and 1 person from Lozovaya.
Continued to support 115 people in Kherson red zones, providing fuel for generators and bread. Disinfected 1 large basement.
Angelia Charitable Fund
Brought aid back from Germany (Zeppernick and Lüneburg), including food, bedding, and children’s clothing. Sent some of this aid to the city of Sumy.
Sent 10 evacuation stretchers, as well as bandages and power bars to Kherson, Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Kramatorsk.
Distributed aid packages, clothing, shoes, food, pillows, and blankets to internally displaced people (IDPs) in Sumy.
Oleksandr D’s Volunteer Networks
Vladyslav K. (Mykolaiv): delivered 35 tons of drinking water to Mykolaiv.
Andriy P. (Mykolaiv): sent several sets of tires – part of the aid previously brought from abroad – to a group of Oleksandr S’s volunteers in the Chernihiv Region. Installed one set of tires on one of Oleksandr D’s vehicles. Sent medicine in the Sumy and Chernihiv directions to evacuation teams working in front-line zones and hot spots.
Sandra S. (Odesa): with the electricity situation stabilized, the kitchen has been able to return to a more regular schedule. However, the conditions remain challenging. Frequent air raids mean that the team has to interrupt their work and go to the bomb shelter along with their heavy pots and pans, then return when the all clear is given.
Vitaliy Z. (Kharkiv): delivered 300 humanitarian kits, clothes, medicine, and animal feed to Sloviansk. Distributed 500 loaves of “Victory” bread in Kramatorsk. Evacuated 1 woman from Sloviansk to the Poltava Region.
Yuri P. (Boryslav): delivered a total of 11 tons of medicines, rice, and baby food to Brody, Kremenets’, Kharkiv, Korosten’, Obukhiv, Uman, and Tal’ne.
Alla A. (Kremenets’): total for March, 2026 – distributed food kits to 310 people, clothing and shoes to 280 people, and diapers to 30 people.
Valeryi K. (Lutsk): distributed adult diapers and urological pads to 21 families at the team’s distribution center. Send aid packages to underprivileged families.
Oleksandr Z. (Lutsk): provided therapeutic interventions and aid to IDP children and families, children and adults with disabilities, orphans, elderly people, military service members, children from military families, and amputees in Lutsk, Ostrozhets', and other parts of the Rivne and Volyn regions.1051 children and adults received help, including a trip to the museum, puppet theater and drama theater, art therapy, theater therapy, music therapy, zootherapy, sports activities, help with bread and other food, help with glasses, dental, medical, and preventive procedures, and help with the manufacture of wheelchairs for children and prostheses and rehabilitation for adults.
Karina’s Team – My ryatuyemo Ukrayinu (We Save Ukraine)
Mailed 296 packages to Nikopol’, which were further distributed by a local volunteer.
81 people in the shelter.
Timur’s Team – Komanda Teymura Alyeva (Timur Alyev’s Team)
Distributed 277 aid packages, primarily to Kharkiv residents that were impacted by the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. These people are all elderly now and have multiple health challenges.
Special deliveries to 32 disabled elderly and 18 families with infants.
Pavel and Olena’s Teams – Dotyk sertsya (Touch of Heart) & Svitanok mriy (Dawn of Dreams)
179 families of IDPs from Kherson received aid packages.
Distributed clothes in the village of Kobzartsi.
Organized multiple events for children in Mykolaiv office.
Pomahaem Foundation (We Help Foundation)
187 people arrived at the Volos’ke transit center. Number of arrivals continues to decrease.
67 packages distributed to IDPs in Dnipro.
489 people received warm clothes and other non-food items. This was supposed to happen earlier in the year, but the grant was delayed.
Marina’s Team – Daruy dobro Ukrayina (Give Good Ukraine)
150 packages were distributed to internally displaced people in the Pyatikhatki community.
Dina’s Team – Vilʹni lyudy, vilʹna krayina (Free People, Free Country)
Distributed 267 packages of aid in Kanev, Kremenchuk, and Poltava.
Provided 12 consultations with an attorney in Kremenchuk.
Served 1,390 meals in the soup kitchen in Kharkiv.
Delivered 100 packages of aid to Zlatopil.
Bohdan’s Team — Vse robymo sami (We Do Everything Ourselves)
42 families in Zhytomyr received food and hygiene kits.
At the Club for Children with Disabilities, children attended art and culinary classes.
How to Help
Donate — The money goes directly to teams providing aid on the ground, who respond dynamically to the most urgent needs.
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Fill out this form if you’re interested in volunteering with us, and we’ll let you know when opportunities come up.
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