“From the warehouse straight to Bakhmut,” says Serhiy, a volunteer with “Peace and Kindness” All-Ukrainian Charitable Foundation, which has been addressing the needs of Ukrainians since 2010 and is delivering another batch of aid to our soldiers for the second time this week. “We were loading the most essential items: food, water, medical equipment and supplies, gear for sappers and rescuers, protective helmets, body armor, and much more.”

The Foundation strives to fulfill all requests from the Defense Forces. In addition to providing vehicles, drones, and military gear, the Foundation focuses significantly on supplying soldiers with proper food, drinking water, medicine, and personal hygiene items.

However, for over six months, the Foundation’s warehouses were blocked. This occurred because certain officials and their accomplices sought to profit from the charitable aid. The perpetrators, using their connections and influence, deceived Foundation representatives and took over the warehouses that stored aid for the front lines and war-affected Ukrainians. The blocked assets amounted to over $2 million.

“Some of the aid was donated by foreign benefactors, while some was purchased with public donations and our own funds. This warehouse was our main hub for distributing humanitarian aid to both the front lines and the civilian population,” said the Foundation’s Vice President, Oleksandr Tsverkovych.

Unsurprisingly, the offer the volunteers received from the “new” owners of the premises was to sell the humanitarian aid and divide the money. Having been refused, they took a different route. With the help of thugs from a security company, while they did not allow representatives of the Foundation to enter the warehouses, the attackers gradually removed property from the warehouses, and simply spoiled some of the aid, especially food. And such lawlessness was taking place in the capital of Ukraine, at a time when all this was supposed to go to the frontline and the de-occupied regions.

Representatives of the Peace and Good Charitable Foundation repeatedly appealed to law enforcement agencies, courts and city authorities. However, time passed and the issue was not resolved. Then, having received a document from the National Police confirming the legitimacy of their rights to access the warehouse, representatives of the Foundation, together with the military, who were to receive most of the aid, went to the warehouse.

The guards did not intend to let the volunteers in. But because our heroes-defenders had arrived with the representatives of the Background, they decided not to resist and, after consulting with their masters by phone, let them in.

Thus, with the support of the military, the volunteers were able to get into the premises with the humanitarian aid and start distributing it. Part of the humanitarian aid was immediately sent to the hottest spot in the country – Bakhmut.

In particular, the National Guard medical company received 14 medical stretchers, 10 first aid kits, ankle braces, catheters, syringes, diapers, antiseptics, bandages, plasters, thermal film and other items needed at the front.

“We learned about the Foundation from our colleagues, applied and received help,” said one of the National Guard soldiers as he loaded the items. “We have received a lot of essentials, it is very difficult to list everything. In addition to medicines and equipment, we also received a lot of food, hygiene products, crockery, mats, energy and helmets. Our soldiers are now confronting the aggressor on all fronts and holding the line. So we are sincerely grateful to the benefactors.”

The State Special Transport Service of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine received 4 pallets of pasta, 2,985 cans of stew, 8 tonnes of flour, 749 bottles and 5,607 cans of sweet drinks, 34 medical stretchers, 35 fire hoses, 17 bulletproof vests, etc.

The Georgian National Legion, whose soldiers are fighting in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and which has recently been joined by more than five hundred soldiers, received 35 boxes of ham, 1400 cans of stew, antiseptics, blankets, tactical suits, first aid kits, etc. from the Foundation.

In the last few days alone, the Foundation’s representatives have loaded several trucks and minibuses with essentials for the Armed Forces, the National Guard, the National Police and rescuers. We also helped the Kyiv City Centre for Social Support of Children and Families.

The Peace and Good Foundation has been working and helping for over 10 years. Initially, the Foundation’s patrons took care of low-income and large families, orphans, the elderly and the development of children’s sports in Ukraine.

Since the beginning of the war in 2014, the Foundation has been transformed to meet the needs of society. Much attention was paid to the frontline. In 2014, it was humanitarian convoys for volunteer battalions, especially those defending Mariupol. We continued to provide targeted help to sick children and orphanages, and volunteers supported low-income families and took care of the elderly.

With the outbreak of full-scale aggression in 2022, new directions opened up: the restoration of schools, kindergartens, and cultural centres that were damaged or destroyed as a result of the war. More attention was paid to IDP families and orphans.

In the shortest possible time, thanks to the dedication of the Foundation’s volunteers, we managed to set up headquarters to provide emergency assistance to victims of Russian aggression. Such points appeared in Kyiv, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Donetsk and Kherson regions. Mobile teams have also been set up to deliver aid to the affected regions and to the war zone.

In the shortest possible time, thanks to the dedication of the Foundation’s volunteers, we managed to set up headquarters to provide emergency assistance to victims of Russian aggression. Such points appeared in Kyiv, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Donetsk and Kherson regions. Mobile teams have also been set up to deliver aid to the affected regions and to the war zone.

In addition to the social and humanitarian component, the benefactors were active in the military sector. In particular, 30 vehicles, 5 evacuation buses, spare parts for vehicles, drones, military ammunition and equipment were purchased, repaired and delivered to the frontline.

Repeatedly, the Foundation’s representatives have chosen the hottest spots – Avdiivka and Bakhmut – as the destination of their charitable mission. After all, support for the Defence Forces in these areas is strategically important for our victory, and everyone understands this. The volunteers are confident that they will continue to help until we win.

Despite the fact that charitable organisations managed to get into the warehouses and continue their activities, the situation remains unresolved in the legal field, and those responsible for the blockade have not been punished.