Four volunteers of the Ukraine Solidarity Campaign have driven over 1,900 miles to the frontline Donbas region of Ukraine with two buses packed with aid for the 10th Paramilitary Mining Rescue Squad in Donetsk Oblast. The vehicles were converted for us in rescue operations. Our volunteers also delivered aid to the Free Trade Union of Education to assist a school in the Kirivohrad region. We publish below the report of the Confederation of Free Trade Unions (KVPU) on our solidarity mission. The USC extends our gratitude to all those who donated to our appeals, and particularly to Grant Smith aid volunteer and fomer firefighter for his crucial assistance in securing vital equipment for delivery.

You can find out more by attending our event “Eyewitness Report from Frontline Ukraine – Discussion on Next Steps for Solidarity” – 1pm, Saturday 30 November, central London – register by CLICKING HERE. For more info check out Eventbrite or email: info@ukrainesolidaritycampaign.org

This week, European friends of the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine and the Independent Trade Union of Miners of Ukraine, ambassadors of the international humanitarian project Ukraine Solidarity Campaign, residents of Great Britain, Christopher Ford, Benjamin Neal, Rui Miguel Palma and Dario Deleziz, arrived in Ukraine on a humanitarian mission.


They came to hand over two vehicles and special equipment, tools and personal protective equipment to rescuers of the State Paramilitary Mine Rescue Squad in the coal industry.
Our guests arrived in Pavlohrad, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, and were met and helped to settle in and rest after a difficult and long journey by representatives of the Western Donbass Regional Association of the NPGU. The next morning, foreign colleagues were invited to the office of the Regional Association of the NPGU, where they got acquainted, had a sincere conversation, and exchanged views.


The discussion with our partners was attended by the chairman of the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine and the Independent Trade Union of Miners of Ukraine Mykhailo Volynets, international secretary of the KVPU Olesya Bryazgunova, head of the Regional Association of NPGU of Western Donbas Yuriy Kryvoruchko, Mayor of Pavlograd Anatoliy Vershyna, Chief Executive Director of PrJSC DTEK Pavlogradvuhillya Serhiy Voronin, head of the Central Headquarters of the State Paramilitary Mining Rescue Service in the Coal Industry Anatoliy Chorny, leaders and activists of the primary NPGU of the production units of PrJSC.

Mykhailo Volynets introduced the foreign guests – participants of the humanitarian mission and gratefully told the audience about them, emphasizing that they are loyal friends of our country and the Independent Trade Union of Miners of Ukraine, who do a lot to help our country in the fight against Russian aggressors and want to see with their own eyes the consequences of the enemy invasion and tell their fellow citizens in Great Britain and Portugal and all Europeans about it.


During the meeting, we talked about the situation in the frontline region, about the conditions in which Ukrainian miners, mine rescuers and representatives of other peaceful professions have to work now. Ukrainian trade union volunteers spoke about helping defenders at the front.

A lot of emotions were evoked by the speech of the head of the newly created primary department of the NPGU of the processing plant “Zapadno-Donbasska” Olga Koltsova. She told how she and her colleagues, forced to leave their homes, having to start life from scratch in Western Donbas. Yuriy Kryvoruchko thanked all those present for participating in the event, and foreign friends for their attention to our problems and constant support and assistance.

After the meeting in Pavlohrad, the foreign guests, accompanied by the head of the KVPU Mykhailo Volynets, the international secretary of the KVPU Olesya Bryazgunova and the head of the Central Headquarters of the State Paramilitary Mine Rescue Service in the coal industry Anatoliy Chorny, went to the mine rescuers, to whom the USC team handed over aid from the trade unions of Great Britain and all those who donated – two buses, equipment and protective gear, which was used the same evening after the enemy shelling of a mine. Fortunately, there were no casualties. At the time of the drone attack, there were 287 miners in the mine. It took engineers and rescuers more than 3 hours to bring them to the surface.
“We were in places that came under attack by Russian terrorists later that day,” said Olesya Bryazhunova. “We express our heartfelt gratitude to our British friends for their unwavering support of Ukrainian workers and the trade union. Boundless gratitude to the brave rescuers of VGRZ-10 and VRGZ-8, [|Mine Rescue Squads] who save miners underground and on the surface, as well as civilians after enemy attacks on their homes.”

Together with foreign partners, representatives of the KVPU visited one of the enterprises of the Metinvest company in the Donetsk region and visited the outskirts of the frontline Pokrovsk.

Our comrades from Great Britain and Portugal were shocked by the scale of destruction in mining towns, at enterprises where people work. They saw and talked to miners who perform their professional duties, support the economy, feed their families and are in constant tension and danger due to regular shelling by Russian missiles and drones.

On the way back to Pavlohrad, the members of the volunteer mission stopped at the volunteer headquarters “Step to Victory”, where they met its founder and the most active participant, the head of the primary department of the NPGU of the Toshkivska mine of the SE “Pervomaiskvuhillia” Lidiya Galkina. Together with like-minded people, they made another camouflage net – a talisman for our Defenders in every sense.

Representatives of the humanitarian mission of the KVPU and the international project Ukraine Solidarity Campaign, during their visits to the Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions, witnessed the courage of people who work, despite the shelling and the growing tension from the offensive of Russian forces, feel unbearable pain from the loss of homes, relatives and friends. At the same time, we felt sincere warmth and affection from brave workers and members of independent trade unions and their love for Ukraine and faith in Victory.
Together we are strong!
Together we bring the victory closer!

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