Themes by tag: volunteers

Mac Hughes, a Canadian from Calgary, arrived in Ukraine with his father, Paul Hughes, shortly after the start of the full-scale russian invasion. The pair began volunteering and founding a Kharkiv-based NGO called H.U.G.S. – Helping Ukraine – Grassroots Support.

Over the next three years, father and son evacuated civilians from frontline towns, repaired military vehicles, and delivered humanitarian aid to communities under fire. Mac spent more than eight months in the Kherson region, providing critical supplies to residents in need.

In March 2024, Mac enlisted in the Ukrainian army, serving alongside Ukrainian soldiers in their war against russian invaders with his unit in the Zaporizhia sector. Four months later, in July 2025, he sustained severe injuries when 30% of his body was burned. Following the evacuation, he was treated in four different hospitals and is now recovering in Kyiv, where Paul continues to care for him.

Mac and Paul are available for interviews in Kyiv, either in person or online, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• volunteers
• Kyiv

Social Drone UA is a volunteer-driven community dedicated to assembling FPV drones for Ukraine’s armed forces. The initiative is open to anyone willing to participate, individuals simply purchase the necessary parts and follow detailed assembly instructions available on the group’s website.

The network now includes more than 2,000 people who have each assembled at least one drone, alongside 70 members on the testing team and many others supporting the effort. Every completed drone undergoes a rigorous in-flight test to identify potential issues such as defective components, assembly flaws, or soldering errors. On average, around 1,500 drones are tested each month. Since its launch, the initiative has delivered 33,798 drones to the military.

Journalists may arrange in advance to cover the project in Kyiv and Lviv.

• volunteers
• Kyiv
• Lviv

The Lavka Deokupatsii (De-occupation Shop), a volunteer initiative based in Kharkiv, offers vegetables and other goods cultivated by residents of the de-occupied territories in the Kharkiv region.

The project’s primary aim is to help revive local agriculture and foster economic self-sufficiency in the village of Studenok, located in the Izium district on the border of the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions. Studenok remained under russian occupation for more than three months, beginning on May 31, 2022. As part of the effort, the initiative provides residents with seeds, greenhouses, and assistance in marketing and selling their produce in Kharkiv.

Currently, two retail locations operate under the project, where customers can purchase cucumbers, green onions, young garlic, carrots, zucchini, new potatoes, and fresh honey sourced from farmers in the de-occupied areas. The stores also offer canned vegetables, jam, and cheeses from the village of Khotimlia, which has also been liberated.

Beyond local sales, the produce is regularly shipped to other parts of Ukraine, with items available at partner-run fairs. The project has also established partnerships with restaurants in Kharkiv and Kyiv.

This September, project co-founders Nataliia Artiushenko and Meriam Yol are scheduled to present the De-occupation Store at Young Chefs, an event in Kyiv that brings together chefs, restaurateurs, and culinary startups.

Journalists wishing to report from Kharkiv can schedule a visit in advance.

The De-occupation Shop is a project of the Volunterska Charitable Foundation.

• casualties
• occupation
• volunteers
• Kharkiv

Anastasiia Astafieva is considered one of Kyiv’s leading specialists in tattooing and tattoo removal. Following the start of russia’s full-scale invasion against Ukraine, she treated a serviceman who wanted to eliminate an old tattoo. His face also bore remnants of gunpowder residue that had become lodged deep in his skin after a blast.

Astafieva attempted to remove the embedded residue with a laser typically used for tattoo removal. The advanced laser therapy results were visible after just one session. After several more, the soldier’s skin was fully restored. Impressed by the outcome, he encouraged other servicemen to seek her help. 

That marked the beginning of her work with those recovering from blast-related injuries. Today, Astafieva treats both military personnel and civilians affected by war, removing not only gunpowder but also soot and soil that have become embedded in their skin during explosions. She provides these treatments free of charge.

Anastasiia Astafieva is open to interviews both online and in person in Kyiv.

• casualties
• volunteers
• women
• Kyiv

Anna Kudzia is a Polish specialist in monument restoration. Over the past decade, she and her team have worked to preserve Ukraine’s architectural heritage. In Lviv, the restorers set up a workshop where they repair and restore sculptures.

When the full-scale war began, Anna co-founded the Ukraina Pomagamy initiative with a group of Polish and Ukrainian restorers. They purchase vehicles and medical supplies for the front lines and assemble first-aid kits for soldiers in their own workshop. Anna Kudzia personally delivers these supplies to the front, either alone or alongside her team of women volunteers.

You can speak with Anna Kudzia and her team online or in person in Lviv, by prior arrangement.

• culture
• volunteers
• Lviv

Sewing Squad is a volunteer initiative that produces adaptive clothing for wounded defenders, as well as civilians affected by russian aggression.

The initiative was founded by Maryna Palchenko and Kseniia Samoilych. On February 28, 2022, they brought their sewing machines and overlockers to a regular office of a Dnipro IT company and launched the Sewing Squad to make balaclavas and thermal clothing, which they distributed to defenders for free (their record was 498 balaclavas in one day). In May, a hospital requested “cyberwear” — special adaptive garments with Velcro/snaps that are easy to put on, don’t cause pain, and don’t require wounded soldiers to lift their arms or legs. Over time, a team of active and talented craftswomen and craftsmen from all over Ukraine gathered around the Sewing Squad.

Today, the initiative unites over 700 volunteers from different Ukrainian cities and parts of the world (including Canada, Poland, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and England). In total, they have sewn more than 300,000 adaptive garments and developed over 35 clothing designs.

By prior arrangement, journalists can speak with the initiative’s founders in Dnipro, as well as with people sewing the clothing (in workshops, small factories, or their own homes) across Ukraine or abroad.

• volunteers

The third season of the International Building Camp (INBUT) is underway this summer, with volunteers working in the recently liberated areas of Ukraine’s Chernihiv region. By the end of November, the team aims to complete the full reconstruction of seven homes that were destroyed during the fighting.

The initiative invites volunteers from around the world to take part. In addition to rebuilding efforts, participants can engage in various social activities, including movie screenings and board games.

This year, volunteers from Chile, Puerto Rico, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Scotland, the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, France, Australia, Sweden, and Canada joined the initiative.

Journalists may cover the volunteers’ work upon prior coordination with organizers.

For reference: INBUT is a project launched in 2023 by the NGO Repair Together. Last year, it drew volunteers from across the globe, including the United States, France, Brazil, Belgium, Canada, Austria, Germany, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Chile.

• reconstruction
• volunteers
• Chernihiv

Duarte Casanova, a 24-year-old volunteer, hails from Lisbon, Portugal. He studied in Denmark and earned a master’s degree in environmental engineering. 

After graduating, Duarte set off to travel — and his first destination (in the fall of 2024) was Ukraine. He says it remains his favorite country, which is why he decided to return once more.

In 2024, Duarte joined the volunteers of BUT (Building Ukraine Together) and helped with the renovation of a cultural center in the Chernihiv oblast. More recently, he worked in the Kherson oblast, restoring homes of civilians affected by the war. He mentions that he previously assisted Front Power in Dnipro (making power banks for the army), the Volunteer Kitchen in Lviv, and Kitty Pechersk in Kyiv. He is currently volunteering in Kramatorsk in the Donetsk oblast.

Journalists have the opportunity to meet Duarte Casanova in person in Kramatorsk until July 20 or later in Lviv by prior arrangement. Online communication is also possible.

• reconstruction
• volunteers

Artem Yerokhin, 23, once worked with a humanitarian mission until American funding for the program was cut, leaving him without a job. In the wake of his dismissal, Artem set out on a new path, literally. He began a 1,200-kilometer journey on foot from Dnipro to Uzhhorod with a goal: to raise one million hryvnias to support the treatment, prosthetics, and rehabilitation of frontline-injured Ukrainian servicemen. 

He launched a charitable initiative called Spilnokrok, or “Shared Step,” to drive the campaign. Yerokhin aims to cover roughly 30 kilometers per day and expects the trek to take at least a month.

Artem is available for interviews along the route both online and in person by prior arrangement. His current location is available upon request.

• volunteers

Before 2022, Ihor Kazmin repaired passenger and commercial vehicles. When fighting broke out in the Mykolaiv oblast, he began helping the military fix armored vehicles.

In May 2022, he built his first buggy for soldiers and has since completely repurposed his auto shop to meet the army’s needs. To date, his team of mechanics has assembled 70 buggies and sent them to the front lines. Fitting out a single buggy takes anywhere from two to three weeks up to two months, depending on the base vehicle being modified. Initially, volunteers worked with Ladas, then moved on to Fords and Skodas, and later began using all-wheel-drive cars.

Some vehicles are handed over after being damaged at the front or in accidents, while others have to be purchased using personal or donated funds. Currently, eight people work in the workshop. In the future, Ihor plans to open a hostel and café for soldiers, who are frequent visitors to the auto shop.

You can connect with Ihor Kazmin online or in person in Mykolaiv by prior arrangement.

• military
• volunteers
• Mykolaiv