January 25- February 1, 2025

Fastiv, 25.01.-01.02.25

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Today we returned from our humanitarian mission to Donbas. At the request of the Pokrovsk military administration, we brought humanitarian aid, which is now needed not only in Pokrovsk. It is already quite difficult to enter the city, most of the residents have moved to other cities and towns.

We visited the town of Rodynske, which is 10 kilometers from the front. Rodynske has a population of 1,800 people and many residents are forcibly displaced from such areas as Avdiivka, Bakhmut, Chasiv Yar or Pokrovsk, and these people need help.

Life in the city itself looks very sad, given that it has not had electricity for about 5 months. There are also problems with water, and at the moment there is no gas, communications have been damaged due to shelling. What people need most, as in our previous trips, where people lack electricity – usually they need the simplest things, such as candles, stoves on which they could heat themselves and cook food, warm things… We brought over 500 blankets for residents.

A very large number of animals were taken there from other cities. For example, we spoke with the residents of Myrnohrad and they said that a large number of animals remained in the city itself, so we also transferred food for animals there. A significant number of people need basic things like cold medicine, which we brought for them, but of course household chemicals are also needed – this is all that is absolutely necessary at the moment to maintain their vitality.

Many of these people are not moving for the first time. We met a man who lived in Bakhmut, later moved to Pokrovsk, and now he has moved to Rodynske. That happens because they don’t want to leave their own home far. Maybe they don’t have this home anymore, but in particular all these elderly people are very attached to their homes, to their land and it is very difficult for them to “break away” from what is closest and dearest to them.

Meeting others in need is always an opportunity to ask if anyone can help with warm things in good condition, flashlights, candles and everything that helps people in the cold season. We will be very grateful to you for any of these things or your financial support.

In Kramatorsk we met with Ms. Ola Kaminska, director of the Zupa na Monciaku Charity Foundation, who has been constantly helping us for over two years. And not only, many volunteer drivers bring aid for our military to Lviv, and later the Humanitarian Nova Poshta sends it to the Donetsk region and other cities at its own expense. The Foundation supports the front-line Kherson and helps homeless animals. We thank all those involved for the help and support that you constantly give us.

We pray for all those who suffered from today’s heavy shelling, in particular in Odesa. Today we also traveled through Poltava, which suffered, Zaporizhzhia and other cities. We pray for everyone and ask that the Lord grant healing of wounds and accept into His Kingdom all those who died as a result of these hostile terrorist shellings.

We thank Charytatywni Freta and to all people of good will, to the Dominican friars from the Freta street for the charity fair in Warsaw, at which they raised funds for the equipment and opening of a social laundry in Fastiv. We thank you for the solidarity and support that we need so much now!

May the days and nights in Ukraine be quiet.

With prayers

Fr. Mykhailo Romaniv OP