Ukrainian volunteers provide aid to war-ravaged people

By Dmitri Chirciu

KYIV (AA) - Volunteers in Kyiv continue their efforts to mobilize humanitarian assistance to Ukrainians in need as the war with Russia rages on.

The aid is being delivered to the internally displaced persons (IDP) who have left their hometowns due to incessant bombings and attacks.

Humanitarian aid from various European countries is brought to a humanitarian aid center in Kyiv.

Volunteers at this center place food, clothing, hygiene products, medicine, and toys as well as food for animals in boxes which are dispatched to war-wracked regions of the country.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Olga Klimenko, a volunteer, said she worked as a film and theater producer before the war.

She said they have asked famous singers and actors to write letters to Ukrainian soldiers and civilians to raise their morale.

These letters have been placed in the aid boxes, she said

"I sincerely believe that when the war is over, Ukraine will stand up again, be rebuilt and become a highly developed country. Our future will be bright. That's why I stayed back with my child,” she said.

- Thanking Turkiye

Meanwhile, Sergey Buryak, the director of the humanitarian aid center, said that the Ukrainian people are going through a difficult time and they are trying to support each other during the war.

Stating that he visited Turkiye many times before the war and that he loved it very much, Buryak said: "We thank the friendly Turkish people and especially President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for their support during this difficult period."

"Even songs are written and played for Bayraktar in Ukraine," he said referring to a Turkiye-made drone used against Russian forces.

At least 2,729 civilians have been killed and 3,111 others injured in Ukraine since the war started on Feb. 24, according to UN estimates. The true toll is feared to be much higher.

So far, 7.7 million people in Ukraine have been internally displaced, with more than 5.2 million fleeing to other countries, according to the UN refugee agency.

*Writing by Seda Sevencan in Istanbul