“Evacuation ends with resettlement and adaptation, not with taking people out”: Deputy Executive Director of East SOS

Kateryna Skrypova, Deputy Executive Director of the East SOS Charity Foundation, joined the United News telethon, where she emphasized the growing challenges at the frontline.

Every day, East SOS teams travel to communities in the Donetsk region, including Dobropillia and nearby villages, to evacuate people to safer areas. Many residents, however, delay their departure, putting their lives and the lives of evacuation workers at risk. Our teams often have to provide not only logistics but also emotional support. People are disoriented and sometimes no longer believe that anyone can help them.

Kateryna stressed the importance of not leaving pets behind, noting that they also suffer stress during hostilities. She urged families to prepare carriers, food, medicines, and other essentials in advance to ensure animals can be evacuated safely. She also highlighted another urgent challenge—the shortage of armored vehicles. With enemy drones constantly present, frontline evacuations are becoming increasingly dangerous. Kateryna recalled incidents where partner organizations, including Base UA and Proliska teams, came under attack during such missions.

She also pointed to the critical shortage of accommodation for elderly evacuees and people with disabilities.

We have already created 650 places for people with disabilities in the Ivano-Frankivsk, Cherkasy, Ternopil, Lviv, Vinnytsia, and Zakarpattia regions. There, people receive inpatient care, including medical support, as well as assistance from psychologists, lawyers, and social workers.

Evacuation requests are available Monday to Saturday, 8 AM–6 PM at 0800 332 614.