Lidiia Panteliivna is 79 years old, she is a resident of Toretsk, Donetsk region. The settlement is located in the immediate vicinity of the zone of active hostilities and is under constant artillery fire. At the end of August, the woman decided to evacuate to a safer region.

“It was difficult to make this decision,” says Lidiia Panteliivna, “I have lived here all my life, this is my native city, my native streets. How to leave my home? But I couldn’t delay any longer. Constant shelling, constant living in fear for my own safety is very exhausting. I packed things with tears in my eyes, but I left. I hope for the best and believe that everything will be fine. I am very grateful to ADRA Ukraine for the possibility of free evacuation.”

ADRA Ukraine, in cooperation with the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund, and in close cooperation with local authorities and units of the State Emergency Service, facilitates the evacuation of the civilian population from Donetsk region, providing transport services free of charge.

“Evacuation of the civilian population is extremely important,” says Andrii Zamazii, a head of the department for civil protection of the Toretsk military administration of Bakhmut district. — Regional and local administrations, all of us constantly emphasize the need to evacuate. The city is subject to artillery fire, the infrastructure is suffering, and winter is ahead, a difficult heating season. It is better to wait it out in safety. For my part, I want to emphasize that your support is very important to us. Thank you for your assistance.”

As of February 24, 2022, ADRA Ukraine, in cooperation with the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund, provided free transport services to residents of “isolated” communities in Luhansk and Donetsk regions, thus facilitating access of the population to basic vital services. At the end of February, transport services were forced to be reoriented to help with the evacuation of the civilian population from areas of active hostilities.

To date, since February 2022, more than 4000 people have been evacuated by free transport of ADRA Ukraine. Evacuation is carried out mainly in Dnipro, where there is a possibility of safe accommodation and evacuation trains operate. This activity goes on.