71 People Evacuated from Zaporizhzhia & Dnipro

Written By Sophia Kutsiuruba

April 15, 2022

On April 11, Andriy was on his way back to Ukraine with this big bus that we were able to help him purchase with the money that’s been donated.

He called me as I was on my way home from work — really late in Poland time. He was unexpectedly delayed getting the bus through customs and so had to spend the night at the border in the receiving center for Ukrainian refugees.

The refugees are received at a large gymnasium. It is completely filled with cots where everyone sleeps in the same room. There are washrooms where people can comfortably shower. A World Central Kitchen, one of 8 border crossing WCK sites, is set up to feed people, along with other food stalls. At this receiving center alone they host 1000 refugees passing through every day.

Once the bus was in Ukraine, they loaded it up and set out. As a car enthusiast and hobby mechanic, Andriy was extra excited about this bus, and so grateful to everyone who donated to make it possible to get this vehicle! It is well-kept and will be able to transport many people at once.

Andriy: “This is what our small bus looks like. Bringing a bit of bread for people. Not sure if this will be for 2 days, or 3. Or maybe just 1. These are our passengers, taking turns driving, because it’s hard. Passenger Macaronich [macaroni :)]. Some water. Pastries. Here are our thousand buttons. The Captain.
Sasha: “Good evening, we are from Ukraine.” (referencing a Ukrainian song lyric and now Ukrainian meme of the Governor of Mykolaiv, Vitaliy Kim’s opening of his addresses to the country.)
Andriy: “Evening, it’s day - watch the road.”
Sasha: “It’s evening, almost 7pm! You just slept in.”
Andriy: “Yes, I did sleep a bit. This is a nice spot to sit and watch from. The bus is well kept, clean. And the boys, they are golden. Soon we’ll be in Kropyvnytskyi, where people are waiting for us. We will be putting them up with families in Rivne, and afterwards take them to the border.”

During this trip, they made two stops. One in Zaporizhzhia, and one in Dnipro, a city 85km north of Zaporizhzhia. Both cities have many evacuees from neighboring villages and cities, as renewed attacks on Eastern Ukraine have increased in the past few days.

They delivered lots of aid to Zaporizhzhia, and picked up 30 people from the church they are partnering with right now. The pictures below show that stop.

They also picked up 41 people from Dnipro, people who have fled neighboring Melitopol, Lysychansk, and the Donbas region, all of which have faced bombardment.

The following pictures and videos show that stop.

Andriy: “Greetings to everyone. We’re in Dnipro, here’s our bus which is already being used. Some people are already settled in the bus, some are still waiting. We’ll also have people in this cargo van where we’ll lay down mattresses, where people with physical disabilities will be able to ride comfortably, laying down or sitting; room for 10 people comfortably. This is how it is… we’ll be setting out for Rivne.”

Things are never without hiccups. The bus may have been too heavy for where it was parked. After a bit of help, they got it on its way.

Andriy: “Well, we arrived yesterday evening, to unload and pick up people. Got in the bus (we were told to park here). Now, we’ve already dug the hills for potatoes, all that’s left is to toss the potatoes in :). This is the equipment that’s arrived to tow us out, and we’ll try to get on our way.”

The day after they arrived, Andriy and the other driver, Sasha, left Rivne to take people to the Polish border - those who wanted to seek refuge in Poland or further.

Andriy took two of his sons with him - Mykola and Andriyko. They wanted to see what their dad does and to ride in this big bus. It’s a way to get to spend time together safely while doing this work.

The news out of Ukraine is still grim. Every day there are so many people that are being displaced, as russian aggression continues and targets peaceful civilians.

But this is what gives me hope. Seventy-one people were evacuated to safety in this trip. There has been at least one more trip since this one, and I’ve lost track of how many before it.

So many people are being helped by the generosity of many. Hundreds of lives have been changed as a result, and that’s no exaggeration. Thank you so, so much!

Sophia Kutsiuruba
Previous

Another trip to Dnipro & Zaporizhzhia
Next

34 Days Under Fire in Mariupol