September 11th, 2025
69,030 people evacuated from danger to date
52 people evacuated from danger this week
29 trips into deoccupied and frontline territories this week
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.
Our dear volunteer Tetiana felt the brunt of the attack in Kryvyi Rih, where more than 20 Shahed drones and eight Iskander rockets reached their targets. Other cities, including the historical city center of Kyiv, were also hit the same night.
As Ukrainians were recovering from a sleepless, explosion-filled night, another terrorist attack killed 25 older people, who had lined up to receive their pensions in the village of Yarova. 24 other people were wounded, some losing limbs. This attack felt personal, as our own Natalia has been supporting this area and delivered aid to Yarova in July and August of this year. This week we cannot find any silver lining. There is more bad news in the story below.
Story
Another Donbas Route Under Fire
Due to the Russian advance near Lyman, Highway M03, an important route connecting Kharkiv, Izium and Sloviansk in the Donbas, has come under the attack of Russian FPV drones. Five cars have been burned in the last two days all along this road. M03 has been a key artery, along which refugees have been evacuated in the direction of Kharkiv, and which our Kyiv teams have used to deliver aid to Lyman, Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.
While the Ukrainian army is putting up a fierce resistance with the frontline mostly staying stable, Russia’s terrorist tactic of attacking civilian vehicles is making new parts of Ukraine unlivable. The tension among the locals is palpable. Residents and community leaders are being extremely careful with social media and communications, as they begin to assess their risks of a potential repeat occupation by Russia’s genocidal forces.
We are doing what we can to support the purchase of drone-detection systems for our evacuation teams. Our Ukrainian volunteers are also maintaining close contact with local administration to ensure that their trips minimize personal risk, which unfortunately continues to rise with each passing week.
Team Summaries
Alina’s Team – Dobra sprava (Good Deeds)
Evacuated 49 people, 5 of them children, over the course of 12 trips to frontline areas.
Inna’s Team – Krok z nadiyeyu (Step with Hope)
7,950 people helped.
21 tons of water delivered.
6,600 people received bread.
31 locations covered, 9 of them in high-risk frontline zones.
Kherson team evacuated 1 person and 2 pets from Kherson red zone.
Cleaned out 8 spaces in Kherson.
Identified remotely mined road segments in Kherson and alerted local authorities preventing a tragedy.
Provided fuel that supports generators for about 100 people in red zone high-rises.
30 targeted humanitarian missions in Kherson.
Oleksandr D’s Volunteer Networks
Oleksandr S (Boyarka): delivered 1,100 kg of clothes, baby food, baby shoes, toys, and baby hygiene products to families affected by military conflict in the Sumy Region. Delivered 1,200 kg worth of clothing, footwear, and baby food to the NGO Good Point in Terny (also Sumy Region), which has begun distributing the aid among internally displaced persons (IDPs) and the most vulnerable segments of the population. Received 1,200 kg worth of food kits at the team’s Boyarka headquarters for further distribution to IDP families, and 1,500 kg of clothes and baby food for future delivery to the Sumy Region. Held a socio-psychological and material support event for IDPs in Boyarka. The event, called Support Nearby, was attended by more than 30 families, who received a food kit each after the event. Delivered 300 kg of clothing and footwear to a warehouse in the city of Ukrainka.
Vladyslav K. (Mykolaiv): delivered 28 tons of water to Mykolaiv. The Mykolaiv delivery was smaller than usual, due to a shortage of volunteers. Vasyl, one of the main volunteers delivering water, currently cannot leave his house because he has once again been summoned by the military recruitment board, despite having a medical waiver due to his health. Meanwhile, Kherson remains inaccessible, with entry to the city available only with special passes and at great danger.
Sandra S. (Odesa): the kitchen handed out more than 500 portions of freshly prepared meals, directly and through partners. While the heatwave is still on, the team is also preparing for a change in the weather and the need for hot food as autumn sets in.
WeCare Centers (Lviv): received 16 tons of children's cereals, cookies, mashed potatoes and other groceries at the team’s main warehouse in Boryslav. These will be distributed to cities throughout Ukraine.
Vitaliy Z. (Kharkiv): delivered a total of 4 tons (350 humanitarian kits, warm clothes, medicine, and “Victory” bread) to Malotaranivka, Kramatorsk District. Brought more than 500 loaves of “Victory” bread to the deoccupied village of Velyka Husarivka, Izium District. Evacuated a man and his dog from Novoselivka, and a woman from Zeleny Kut (both are in the Lyman community).
Alla A (Kremenets’): report for 2 weeks. 108 people with disabilities and IDPs attended a psychological support training at the team’s center and received certificates for food and hygiene products valued at 500 UAH each. 30 people with disabilities submitted applications for assistance. 30 packages of food and 30 packages of hygiene products were also delivered to the homes of people with disabilities. 12 people received help from a psychologist and a rehabilitation specialist.10 children and adolescents with physical disabilities attended a social adaptation program online.
Oksana K. (Lutsk): provided 21 visitors to the team’s aid distribution center with a total of 57 kg. of adult diapers and urinary pads, 60 kg. of clothing, shoes, toys, and bedspreads. Provided aid to a large IDP family. Sent a package from the Baby Box series to the wife of a soldier. Sent a baby box to the wife of another soldier and also to a pregnant widow.
Oleksandr Z. (Lutsk): provided therapeutic interventions and aid to IDP children and families, children with disabilities, children from military families and large families, orphans, military veterans, and amputees in Lutsk, Ostrozhets’, Uizdtsi, and Horodnytsya (all in the Rivne Region). 853 children and adults received help, including art therapy classes, help with bread and other food, a visit to the theater, a development camp, glasses, medical and preventive procedures – including a “medical mobile trailer,” which traveled to remote villages in the Rivne Region to conduct physiotherapeutic procedures for IDPs – and help with the manufacture of prostheses and rehabilitation.
Karina’s Team – My ryatuyemo Ukrayinu (We Save Ukraine)
98 people in the shelter, 59 of them long term.
Tetiana’s Team – Dopomoha poruch (Help Is Near)
Distributed 150 aid packages in Ternivka, Cherkasy Region.
Natasha’s Team – Volontersʹkyy tsentr Vyshnya (Cherry Volunteer Center)
Natalia traveled to Lyman, delivering 251 packages, 59 of which went to the village of Yats’kivka.
Timur’s Team – Komanda Teymura Alyeva (Timur Alyev’s Team)
Delivered packages to 324 elderly and disabled residents in Kharkiv and to 21 families with babies, including some still living in the outermost worst-hit parts of the city.
Pavel and Olena’s Teams – Dotyk sertsya (Touch of Heart) & Svitanok mriy (Dawn of Dreams)
Delivered 322 packages to the villages of Kyselivka and Afanasiivka.
Conducted training for IDPs at the Mykolaiv office.
Pomahaem Foundation (We Help Foundation)
More than 700 people have passed through the newly reopened Volos’ke shelter.
24 tons of water were delivered to Nikopol’. Next week’s delivery will be paused for quality checks of the water.
176 packages distributed to the refugees passing through the shelter in Volos’ke.
Installed 3 bio-toilets at the Pavlohrad IDP transit center to serve the 100 people passing through the center weekly.
Marina’s Team – Daruy dobrо Ukrayina (Give Good Ukraine)
150 food and hygiene packages were distributed to internally displaced people in Zhovti Vody.
Dina’s Team – Vilʹni lyudy, vilʹna krayina (Free People, Free Country)
Distributed 284 packages in Poltava, Kanev, and Kremenchuk.
Received 3.5 tons of donated household goods and clothing from a nonprofit in Kyiv to distribute in Kremenchuk.
Served 1,530 meals in the soup kitchen in Kharkiv.
Delivered 550 packages of aid to Staryi Saltiv and Nova Vodolaha.
Bohdan’s Team — Vse robymo sami (We Do Everything Ourselves)
43 families in Zhytomyr received food and hygiene kits.
Alena’s Team – Diva (Virgo)
Helped 37 wounded in the Odesa hospital and personally provided necessary medicine to 9 more.
Distributed donated bread to 623 families in Odesa.
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