Church that helps: Father Oleksandr Bilskyy on the distribution of hygiene kits in Kherson region

On June 6, 2023, at about 02:50 am, the Russian occupiers committed a war crime and potentially an act of ecocide by blowing up the dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station. About 16,000 people were in the disaster zone and about 80 settlements could be flooded. According to Reuters, at least 52 people were killed and 31 people were reported missing, not to mention the material damage to Ukrainians. In this regard, thousands of people need immediate humanitarian assistance.

A crime that came as a great shock

“Probably, all people who love Ukraine took this event with great sadness and pain. My parishioners called me at 05:30 and told me that the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station had been blown up. Of course, even before the explosion, everyone was aware of the consequences of such a crime: both for those areas that are located below the hydroelectric power plant, because they will be flooded, and for those areas that are located above, because the water will be drained and lost. Many towns and villages in our region used to take water from the Kakhovka reservoir,” says Father Oleksandr Bilskyy, pastor of the Parish of the Martyrs of Maccabees in Beryslav, Kherson region.

The priest emphasizes that people are going through difficult times. “The explosion of the Kakhovka HPP was a great shock for them. Not only were they constantly shelled by Russian terrorists, but now they are also flooded. So now we are facing double trials, double grief. We had no place to live, and now we have no place to live because everything is flooded,” he says.

Висохле Каховське водосховище

People are in trouble

From the first day, the UGCC has been trying to support the victims in every way possible. Thanks to the support of Ukrainians from abroad and caring people, the Patriarchal Foundation Mudra Sprava in cooperation with Caritas Kolomyia managed to send three trucks with food and hygiene kits. All of them were delivered to the parish communities of the UGCC, which distributed them and served people in need.

According to local pastor Oleksandr Bilskyy, only a few people in Beryslav district left. Most people went to their fellow villagers who live above the flood level. And there they were waiting to return to their homes after the water subsided.

1600 hygiene kits for six villages

Father Oleksandr Bilskyy together with the parish community of the Martyrs of Maccabees received 1600 hygiene kits. They distributed the kits to people in the villages located opposite the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station, which were immediately flooded: Vesele, Kozatske, Odradokamyanka, Mykolayivka, Burgunka, and Olhivka. Each person from these villages had the opportunity to receive not only help but also support in this difficult time.

When we talk about the number of people in general, there are just 1600 people left in the six villages we mentioned. But in the city of Beryslav, there are 3,500 people left. And the number of people we are trying to help today is about 7,000. We are talking about people around Beryslav within 30–40 kilometers.

“We received a phone call from Fr. Lyubomyr Yavorskyy, who offered help in the form of hygiene kits. The issue of food for those who were flooded was somehow resolved through volunteers and our support. People often have their own personal savings and share what they have with each other. But the issue of hygiene remained open. I received calls asking me to help with these means. They asked about antiseptics, napkins, feminine hygiene products, and even laundry detergent or washing-up liquid. This has always been lacking and is still lacking. It was a very significant support. And I am grateful to the Patriarchal Foundation, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Fathers Lyubomyr Yavorsky and Oleh Panchyniak, all those who joined in, collected these kits, or donated their money,” says Fr Oleksandr.

What did the distribution of the kits look like?

Speaking about the organizational aspects of helping, Father Oleksandr notes: “We organized ourselves in the following way, which we still keep to. So, 1600 hygiene kits were brought to Beryslav. We started contacting the headmen of the above-mentioned villages. They came to us in turn and gradually transported the kits to their villages. There, in a certain room, they were already receiving people who could take all the necessary hygiene products. Usually, such transportation took place in moments of certain security and absence of shelling. Another threat was the road to Beryslav itself. We must understand that most of the roads are destroyed or mined. However, the headmen know places where we can drive through the fields. But it was raining at that time. So, it was a bit difficult to get to Beryslav through the fields. But despite all the difficulties, we distributed all the kits to those people who suffered from flooding because of the Kakhovka HPP dam blowing up. Every resident of these villages, every person, received a hygiene kit from the Patriarchal Foundation Mudra Sprava.

The urgent need for drinking water

In addition to flooding the area, the Russians’ explosion of the Kakhovka HPP also caused problems with drinking water. “The consequences of the dam explosion have already begun to be seen in our parish community. We already have requests from people to provide them with drinking water, because their wells have already lost water. We must understand that many people used to take water from the Kakhovka reservoir. The water went through the canals and filled the lakes, and people took industrial water from there, purified it, making it suitable for drinking. So now we have a problem that will only get worse. Soon, there will be no water here. For example, the city of Kryvyi Rih used to take 70 % of its water from the Kakhovka Reservoir. But Kryvyi Rih is 160 kilometers away from us! What can we say about us, about Beryslav?”

“Thank you!”

But despite this, according to the priest, people remain grateful for any help, for every act of attention and service.

“In fact, people see everything: they see who left, they see who cooperated with whom during the occupation, and they see those who collected grain to grain to feed these people. Interestingly, it’s not just about the locals we are helping, but also people who have left. People who were leaving Skadovsk and crossing through Beryslav, because it was the only possible direction at the time, were forced to return to Beryslav because they were not allowed to cross. They had no place to sleep, no food, because they were not prepared to be held in the field for three days. So, they kept coming back to get something to eat and water. When they got to Beryslav, they learned that our parish feeds everyone, whether local or passing through. In Ternopil, I accidentally met a man with whom I managed to talk, and he told me that when he was leaving Skadovsk, he was rescued by the church in Beryslav, which fed him, took him in for the night, and provided him with everything he needed. After listening to him, I shared with him that I am a priest of this church. He was pleasantly surprised, and tears came to his eyes. In the end, he said only one word: ‘Thank you!’

The face of the true Church

According to Fr Oleksandr Bilskyy, pastor of the Martyrs of Maccabees the parish in Beryslav, Kherson region, these are the moments that inspire. “After all, I could not have done anything myself. But we have a team, women and volunteers who really serve. They didn’t come to us for money, they didn’t come for rewards. They were just sitting in their homes. And when they saw that there was a need and they could help in some way, they came and said: ‘Take us there. Tell us what to do, because we want to help people.’ So, since the beginning of the war, we have managed to distribute about 65 thousand hot meals. But since its opening on October 3, 2021, our charity kitchen has prepared and distributed almost 70 thousand meals.”

Concluding our conversation, Father Oleksandr says that people continue to discover our Church. People do not limit themselves to knowing who helped. They want to discover the community. “During the war, people saw the face of the true Church. I have heard this expression about our Church more than once, that it is the Church that has not abandoned people and continues to be close to those in trouble and difficulties. Instead, in Beryslav we are called the Church that helps,” said the pastor.

Press service of the Patriarchal Foundation Mudra Sprava