Ukrainian volunteers deliver aid to residents of retaken Donetsk town

Volunteers delivered aid packages to residents of a town recently retaken by the Ukrainian military in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region on Monday (October 31).

Drobysheve saw heavy fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces until it was retaken by the Ukrainians around a month ago.

Russia had used nearby Lyman city as a logistics and transport hub for its operations in the north of the Donetsk region.

Piotr Kaszuwara, a Polish national, originally came to Ukraine as a journalist when Russia invaded in February of this year, but later started taking up volunteer work.

According to Kaszuwara, he is now focusing aid runs to Drobysheve since the area is still heavily mined and very few volunteer organisations are able to reach it.

Local residents such as Tatiana pass by the ruins of neighbourhood buildings and destroyed Russian tanks to make the trek to receive aid packages. During the worst of the conflict, the 64-year-old stayed in her village, and still has no plans to leave despite the sound of distant artillery, coupled with a lack of electricity and running water.

"I do not like moving, I have lived here since 1989, my son and my grandson were born here. Ukraine is my children's motherland," said Tatiana, who would not give a surname.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has promised more quick successes in the Donbas, which covers the Donetsk and Luhansk regions that are largely under Russian control.
The Sun newspaper brings you the latest breaking news videos and explainers from the UK and around the world