Bus stops on the border of Kharkiv region that became places of waiting for help

“In this war, certain words have changed their functional meaning. Not everywhere, of course. But, for sure, in the territories bordering the Russian occupiers.

Take the word “bus stop” for example. Before the large-scale war and occupation, people used to gather at bus stops in the large border villages of Shevchenkove or Malyi Burluk to go shopping in Kharkiv or, closer to home, in Velykyi Burluk. The local shops were not very diverse. But at least they were there. And there were pharmacies. Now it’s gone. The entire infrastructure is destroyed. No shops, no pharmacies, no club, no school.

Our children’s writers and actors of the Kharkiv Puppet Theatre had time to meet the children of this region in 2022 after the de-occupation from the Russian invaders. Now, there is a forced evacuation here. The rest is up to the conscience of the parents.

But let’s get back to the stops. Today it is a place of waiting. A place to wait for humanitarian aid. As many streets as there are stops. Under their roofs you can hide from the almost African sun. At the bus stops, people are now receiving well-formed food packages from the Patriarchal Foundation of the UGCC “Mudra Sprava”. One is for the yard. People are grateful and touched.

And if someone from the Mudra Sprava had been with us, the grateful villagers would have treated them, like us, to what God had sent them — vegetables, fresh eggs and cold berry jam from the cellar.”

This is the story shared by the volunteers of the St Dmitry’s Catechetical and Pastoral Centre, our dear and beloved partners. These are the emotions and impressions they experienced during the regular distribution of food packages in the settlements bordering the Russian Federation in the Kharkiv region in July 2024. And this story really touches the depths of the heart and encourages further service and tirelessness.