East SOS Representatives Shortlisted for the 2026 Pride of Luhansk Region Award: Support Our Team by Voting on Nomination Day!

The organizing committee of the 2026 Pride of Luhansk Region Award has completed the review of applications from 417 organizations and announced the finalists across 12 award categories. We are proud that several of our colleagues have been shortlisted.

Luhansk Region is their home. It was there, in 2014, that our Foundation began its journey as the volunteer initiative Luhansk SOS. Today, our team supports people affected by russia’s aggression across Ukraine.

Yuliia Krasilnykova (Social Mission of Luhansk Region) is a member of the Board and Coordinator of the Reconstruction Program at the East SOS. For the past 12 years, she has worked alongside the team to help people overcome the consequences of war. Before 2014, Yuliia worked in Luhansk with the Postup Human Rights Center, where she coordinated socio-cultural projects, youth initiatives, and civic engagement activities. She later became an active participant in the Luhansk Euromaidan movement, where many members of today’s East SOS team first met and began the shared journey that led to the Foundation’s creation.

Ivetta Kuzmina (Strength of the Community) heads the Finance Department at East SOS, ensuring the organization’s financial transparency while contributing to numerous social and human rights initiatives. Before 2014, she also worked at the Postup Human Rights Center in Luhansk, focusing on human rights and support for children without parental care. A long-standing civic activist, Ivetta has participated in peaceful protests since the Orange Revolution. In 2014, she joined the Luhansk Euromaidan movement, marching with fellow activists behind a 40-meter Ukrainian flag that became a local symbol of unity and resilience.

Roman Zhylienkov (Charitable Mission of Luhansk Region) is an evacuation specialist with East SOS. Before 2022, Roman was a businessman and boxing coach. russia’s full-scale invasion changed the course of his life: in February 2022, he and his friends began evacuating people from his hometown of Kreminna. He later joined the Foundation’s evacuation crew and has since helped rescue thousands of people from frontline areas.

The winners will be selected through an open public vote conducted via a Google Form from July 15 to August 1. On the days when voting opens for our colleagues, we will share the voting link in the Foundation’s social media stories. We would be grateful for your support!