December 3rd, 2022

After our successful mission to Mykolaev we headed 90 minutes south to the very recently liberated Kherson Coty and Kherson Oblast. The Russians had occupied this area since the first week of the war and began a program of forced Russification, deportations, torture and mass killings. The villages on the main highway were almost completely destroyed.

Last month the Russian army was forced to retreat south of the Dnipro River in order to avoid being annihilated by the advancing Ukrainians. But they have set up shop across the river and continue to shell the city 24/7.

We met with our contacts Olena and her daughter Nastya and unloaded a stove, bedding, cold weather gear, food and hygiene essentials. Like Anna in Kharkiv, Nastya is 13 and speaks some English. She also is a much older and more mature person than her age. Although she was very enthusiastic with her limited English skills, and she loved her go to phrases, “super” and “ok thank you.”

The Russians shelled the city the entire time we were there. And I am still in awe of the people living their lives as bombs fall in their neighborhoods and streets. The day before our arrival two people were killed in the shelling, one at a bus stop and a garden. We did stop for coffee at a shop in town on the way back to the highway. There were people on their computers, and phones like you would see anywhere in the states. While I was ordering, a shell landed about 200 meters down the street. The glass door shook a bit and nobody even looked up. I was a little wide eyed, and another Nastya, our barista, smiled and said “don’t worry, we are used to it.” We got our coffee and said a quick goodbye to her and hit the road north.

I made a gamble on some road choices and we used roads that Google maps refused to highlight. The result was we made it back to Kyiv in 7 hours. 3 hours shorter. The roads were the best I have been on here. Google has a kickback deal with tire and suspension shops I am certain of it.

Heading to Zaporhizia and Donetsk tomorrow to help set up a field kitchen and warming tent in a small village for use by residents, soldiers and refugees.