Kateryna Skrypova Appointed Executive Director of East SOS

We are pleased to announce that Kateryna Skrypova has been appointed the new Executive Director of East SOS. The decision was approved by the organization’s members at the General Meeting on January 7, 2026. We warmly welcome Kateryna in her new role and wish her strength, resilience, and inspiration.

Kateryna, like the previous Executive Director, Yuliia Krasilnykova, joined the organization in 2014, when it operated under the name Luhansk SOS. At that time, the team focused on supporting people affected by russian aggression in eastern Ukraine and Crimea.

In the early years, Kateryna worked directly on humanitarian assistance along the frontline. She later returned to her profession as a veterinarian. However, following the start of the full-scale russian invasion in 2022, she rejoined East SOS as a Humanitarian Coordinator and was subsequently elected Chair of the Board by the General Meeting. Since 2025, she has headed the Human Rights Department.

“For me, leading East SOS means continuing work that has supported and given hope to thousands of people for many years. I am taking on this role at a time when assistance to war-affected people remains critically important. I do so with a strong sense of responsibility – to ensure that this support remains reliable and consistent, and that the organization’s values stay unchanged,” said Kateryna Skrypova.

Yuliia Krasilnykova has served as Executive Director of East SOS since November 22, 2021 – four intense, turbulent, and, as she herself says, unforgettable years.

After the start of the full-scale invasion, teams from three East SOS locations – Mariupol, Siverskodonetsk, and Kyiv – were evacuated under Yuliia’s leadership to Uzhhorod, where a new office was established. The team quickly launched a hotline, opened warehouses, and resumed humanitarian operations. Yuliia succeeded in rebuilding the team and restoring full-scale work in a new location. In the first months of the invasion, alongside humanitarian aid, East SOS began developing evacuation services, including support for people with limited mobility. Over time, the geography of the organization’s activities expanded significantly – assistance is now provided across all government-controlled territories of Ukraine. In 2024, according to the results of an independent survey, East SOS ranked 30th in the TOP 100+ Transparent Charitable Organizations of Ukraine, compiled by the Association of Philanthropists of Ukraine.

We are sincerely grateful to Yuliia Krasilnykova for taking on responsibility for the rapid development of East SOS during one of the most challenging periods in the country’s history. Yuliia continues her work with the organization as Coordinator of the Reconstruction Program.