Report of Ukraine Solidarity Campaign Delegation to Ukraine

On Thursday 6 November, a delegation from the Ukraine Solidarity Campaign arrived in Kharkiv having driven 2,000 miles to deliver three trucks along with clothing, sleeping bags, helmets, medical supplies and more to our comrades fighting on the frontlines to defend Ukraine.

Trucks were delivered to members of the KVPU (Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine), including soldiers fighting on the eastern front and rescue workers. That same day, one of the trucks drove straight to an emergency in Dnipropetrovska, where 5,595 miners were trapped underground following Russian shelling. All miners were brought to safety. 

Posting on social media after the aid delivery, head of the Kharkiv Regional Organization of the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine (KVPU) Igor Pridhoko said: “Your help brings Ukraine’s victory and peace in Europe closer!” 

Pridhoko is the director of Kharkiv’s specialist sports college, on the outskirts of the city. He took members of USC to see the hellish damage inflicted on the college – which counts Olympic and world champions among its alumni – after three Russian attacks. The college has been hit by Iskander missiles and guided aerial bombs. The team went to view the damage on the college’s roof, where a missile pierced the building holding the pupil dormitories. Thankfully all the children had been evacuated and no one was hurt.

But the damage is catastrophic. Children are still coming to the centre to train in the less damaged buildings, with the college relying on one generator to keep the lights on. 

“Our friends from Britain were shocked by the consequences of the bombing of a civilian educational institution,” said Pridhoko. “We are grateful to our brothers for understanding the dire situation and the need for international support and humanitarian assistance.”

During an eight-hour alert across the Kharkiv region, USC visited Sphere, an LGBTQ+ and women’s rights organisation. The centre offers a safe space to women and LGBTQ+ people – needed more than ever when there are almost daily attacks on Kharkiv. There is still a long battle to achieve LGBTQ+ equality in Ukraine, but things are moving in the right direction. Before the start of the full-scale invasion, only 20% of the public supported gay rights. Now, that figure is 60%. 

The delegation travelled back to Kyiv, taking part in the Progressive Summit organised by SD Platform and meeting young left-wing activists and soldiers who discussed their vision for new Ukraine, one that puts workers’ rights at the centre of reconstruction. They took part in a panel organised by Sotsіalniy Rukh, where they discussed the need for the UK to continue to show solidarity with Ukraine and warned against Russian interference in far right politics across Europe.

On the final day, the delegation visited the Save Ukraine Centre, which rescues children and families from the occupied regions of Ukraine, as well as stolen children from Russia. This dangerous and hard work has been made even more challenging after Trump cut off USAID to the charity. The funding cuts have delayed construction on a new Children’s Justice Centre which is designed to provide safety and support for victims of child sexual abuse. However, thanks to new funding from Germany and Belgium, work has restarted.

Next stop was to meet the LGBT Military NGO, which provides support for LGBTQ+ soldiers on the frontline. This was not the first time USC’s and LGBT Military’s paths had crossed, although we did not realise it at the time. In either 2022 or 2023, USC delivered a car to the 72 Black Cossack Brigade, where LGBT Military’s deputy leader Vikor Pylypenko served. 

The trip finished with a meeting at the KVPU headquarters, where we discussed the importance of trade union solidarity across borders. An important conversation is happening on the Ukraine left right now about the new labour code, and the threat of market-driven economics overtaking a focus on workers’ rights. As trade unionists, we support the vital work of KVPU and others in fighting for a fair labour code that recognises the right to strike, fair wages for all, and fairer working conditions.

Journalist Sian Norris took part in the delegation, and her exclusive reports from the trip will be published in openDemocracy.

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