Rewarding bravery

His Holiness Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus’-Ukraine Filaret bestowed the medals, each bearing the awardee’s name, on employees of Nova Poshta company who had delivered shipments to the occupied territories in the framework of the Humanitarian Mail project. The patriarch presented awards and expressed his gratitude to employees of the company’s Sloviansk office – operator Natalia Anokhina as well as drivers Dmytro Sudak and Oleksandr Khromov. Program coordinator of the Humanitarian Mail Natalia Kosianchyk and co-founder of Nova Poshta Inna Popereshniuk received medals with their names as well. Nova Poshta’s CEO and initiator of the Humanitarian Mail project Viacheslav Klymov received an award on behalf of all his employees.

According to Patriarch Filaret, Nova Poshta’s employees have made a significant contribution to the volunteer mission in eastern Ukraine. “All Ukrainians are involved in defending the nation’s eastern lands. Some of us take part in the fighting, while others donate what little they have: food, clothing, medicines, money. Nova Poshta has been serving well in this cause. Many people want to help, but they often do not know how to do it, because not everyone can go to the east. The Humanitarian Mail enables all philanthropists, including the church, to deliver aid to their intended recipients. We are very grateful to you. We pray for you,” the patriarch summed up.

The Humanitarian Mail is, essentially, a program allowing volunteer organizations to deliver parcels to the east for free. Over the project’s seven-month life, the Humanitarian Mail has sent 4,000 tons of cargo to the Donbas, making up about 20,000 parcels, Nova Poshta’s CEO Klymov told us. “For Ukraine to win this war, the business community, government, and civic institutions should join forces to defend the homeland. This is our only way to survive, despite all the suffering and tragedies which we are currently experiencing. We believe that Ukraine has a wonderful and peaceful future, but each of us must do their part to make this future happen,” he noted.

As they worked under war conditions, Nova Poshta’s employees performed some truly heroic feats. Often enough, they had to deliver shipments to the warzone. They kept working under small-arms fire and shellings, understanding that the aid they brought was the only hope for many people.

“When I made my first trip there and saw people living in the occupied territories, saw how they looked at me, it struck me deeply. I was just unable to quit my job and stop helping them. We had various accidents. Sometimes, a shell exploded ahead of our truck. It was scary, of course, but we had to do it because we were the only remaining link that connected the occupied cities with the rest of Ukraine. No other transportation company worked in Sloviansk at the time,” driver Khromov told us.

By the way, the company plans to continue the Humanitarian Mail project after the war. According to Klymov, it will involve delivering shipments to orphanages and educational organizations.