Aug. 13, 2025, 10:12 p.m.
(Photo provided by the source)
To take away a person or animal and thus save it. This is the main task of the NGO "Strong Because Free" in their work. Without days off and holidays, the team travels to the most dangerous areas of the right bank of the Kherson region to evacuate. The workload is, without exaggeration, enormous. So there is not enough time to talk about our work, although we are convinced that we need to shout about Kherson so that it is constantly in our ears. The head of the NGO "Strong Because Free" told the Intent about why people still live in the red zones of the region, the motivation of volunteers, and the implementation of other social and humanitarian projects. Ihor Chornyi, the head of the NGO.
Ihor Chornyi has been volunteering since the first days of the full-scale invasion. Together with like-minded people, he was first a member of the municipal guard, keeping order in the city, and then joined the initiative group "All Those Who Care Kherson" to provide humanitarian aid to people. He says that in the first weeks of the temporary Russian occupation, many people lost the theory that the world is material. Because money stopped meaning and being worth something. Instead, the value of human qualities and relationships was revealed.
"People had money, but they couldn't buy anything. Everything was closed then. Together with my friends Rostyslav Kulyk and Serhii Tarasenko, we managed to collect food and hygiene products through our friends, which we distributed primarily to the elderly and families with children. We did this in a room provided by Serhiy's mother, for which I am very grateful to this day. Overall, it was a difficult time, but we managed," Ihor Chornyi recalls.
After the de-occupation of the right bank of the Kherson region, the volunteers faced completely different problems, not only because of the increase in the areas of support, but also because of the security component. Air strikes, shelling from artillery, MLRS, tanks, mortars and drone attacks are a daily constant threat to the city and coastal communities from the left bank temporarily occupied by the Russian army.
"Kherson is under fire every day: houses are being destroyed and people are dying. And the situation is getting worse, unfortunately. And no one sees it, no one talks about it. Or at least not enough... Because they don't understand what it's like to be in danger all the time... Currently, more attention is paid to other areas, other regions. People pay attention to us only when something happens," Ihor does not hide his feelings.
In addition, according to the volunteer, the lack of proper interaction with the police and the TCC complicates the work. "The booking procedure is extremely complicated and time-consuming, and not everyone passes it. And there is simply no one to replace the guys who are ready to go to the red zone all the time. Evacuating people and animals, bringing food, water, medicine or eliminating the consequences of the incidents - not everyone is willing to take risks for this.
"We have been here since the first days of the full-scale war, we have not left the city and we are helping its residents. Despite the losses among our team, numerous injuries of others, I personally had a concussion, we have been here for more than 3 years. We are doing what we are good at and we are holding on," says Igor.
People's needs for support are diverse and they are not getting smaller. Photo: Ihor Chornyi</span></span></span></span></span></span>
One of the main areas of work of the NGO is the evacuation of people and animals from the territories of the right bank of the region, mostly from the red zone. They agree to go where most people do not dare. At the same time, they work both on their own hotline 066 42 96 824 and on the basis of applications from KHOVA and KMVA, which record people's requests and pass them on to volunteers.
"Antonivka, Bilozerka, Stanislav, Mylove... These are all villages where mandatory evacuation was introduced long ago. However, many people still live there who do not want to leave their homes and farms. Because this home is all they have. Meanwhile, it is becoming more and more dangerous to go there. At the same time, there are settlements, such as Beryslav, Vesele, Kozatske, where we no longer go. Sometimes even the police can't get there to pick up people," explains Ihor Chornyi.
For example, the team recently evacuated an old man from the village of Mykilske who had been waiting for evacuation for 45 days. Previously, it was impossible to visit the village because the road to it was literally 'under the gun' of the Russian military. Therefore, any trip is extremely planned. Lives depend on it.
"Every evacuation, you go, but you don't know if you'll come back. Because what will it be like today? There are moments when you realize that the situation is safer and everything should be fine. But this is a frontline area... Anything can happen here at any time and everything can go wrong. So when you come back, you exhale and say: we did it, one or more lives have been saved, they are safe, and it's great. It is this realization that gives you the strength to continue helping," says the volunteer.
"People are not being taken to the middle of nowhere. Kherson has several transit zones - temporary shelters where people can stay for a while. Later, in cooperation with other NGOs, they are found places to live in different regions of Ukraine.
"Unfortunately, it is very difficult to deal with people with limited mobility, bedridden people and those with animals. But there are partners to whom we are turning and who are already trying to solve the housing issue depending on the needs of the evacuees. There are also partners who make small payments. It's cool because it's about cooperation and coordination. I would like our government, various organizations and donors to be more involved in this process. We have to give hope that life will not stop after leaving...', Ihor emphasizes.
"Be on time" - these words come up repeatedly during our conversation. Ihor Chornyi, the head of the company, knows their value from his own experience. He shares one of the stories that will always stay with him. It's about Tamara, because the team remembers almost all the people by name. The woman was injured in the evening, and the volunteers received a request for her evacuation only in the morning. They took Tamara to the hospital as soon as possible. However, a stroke and hypothermia due to the fact that she had been lying on the street all night complicated the situation. The doctors tried to do everything possible, but her heart gave out.
"We are counting more people who have died than those we have taken out... It is painful and difficult, because every life is priceless. This applies not only to people, but also to animals," Ihor notes.
But sometimes evacuation is not only for the sake of the living. The team has to deal with dead people. They have already had about 15 such cases. One of them is the death of two men in Antonivka from a Russian drone attack, who were simply going to the well to collect water.
"Another situation happened on my birthday. Antonivka, a drone dropped a shell, a woman was wounded. When they were taking her to the hospital, I was thinking only about one thing: not to step on a petal mine, because there was grass around... They took her out, everything was fine, they saved her. We arrived in time," says Ihor Chornyi.
Getting out of the danger zones while it is still possible is something that volunteers are increasingly working with as a preventive measure. They do not just talk to people, but persuade them to evacuate. After all, there may not be a next time. Therefore, it is not worth waiting for the last moment.
According to Igor, in this case, the interaction of volunteers with the relatives of the people to be evacuated works well. After all, people, especially pensioners, listen to their loved ones more easily and quickly. Thus, we have repeatedly managed to take away those who refused to leave for a long time.
''If the enemy did not disrupt the evacuations, did not kill civilians and allowed us to take people away... But they did not. They (the Russian military - ed.) see that these are volunteers, ambulances, rescuers, and realize that they are saving civilians. However, they start shooting even more. Russian drones chased our team repeatedly. On one of these occasions, a drone attacked from behind. The car was damaged, but everyone survived. If it wasn't for the "detector" that went off and sent a signal, the guys would have continued to drive calmly, and the attack on them would have been more accurate and had more severe consequences. But they reacted in time: They increased their speed, began to change the route dramatically and maximize the distance," says Ihor Chornyi.
The fact that the Russian army deliberately targets civilians is evidenced by another example given by a volunteer. "People tried to leave Antonivka on their own and pasted the car with signs saying 'People. Evacuation". But instead of a 'green corridor' they got a 'path to survival'. Russian drones chased the car one by one and finally attacked. The woman and man survived but were seriously injured.
"Our hotline operator asked them: "Why didn't you consult us? We would have immediately warned them that this is not the way to do things. The more you stick and write, the more you will be shelled. In other words, they will try to kill you and take your life,'' Ihor emphasizes.
Two years ago, the Strong and Free team introduced the Social Taxi service in a frontline city. It was their immediate response to a problem they noticed during the evacuation. The elderly and those with limited mobility were left alone with their needs, such as going to the hospital, bank, pension fund, etc. In the absence of regular transportation and the relocation of most structures from some districts to other, more distant locations, it is quite difficult to get there. Instead, employees of these institutions do not come home. So the volunteers began to make such trips free of charge in a special car equipped to transport the bedridden.
"Sometimes we carry them in our arms, on a wheelchair... In general, there are different situations. However, the resilience and strength of these people is striking. They smile sincerely and their eyes shine. This energy charges and supports. It is exciting and inspiring. They are holding on, and so will we," says Ihor Chornyi.
The Social Taxi service has been operating in Kherson for two years now. Photo: Ihor Chornyi
He adds that for many of these people, their team has become like a family. They see each other all the time. So at such meetings, it is not uncommon for people to try to treat the guys to something tasty. Currently, the project has been joined by the NGO "Real" and representatives of the administration, and the NGO "Poland Help" is planning to join. The increase in cars and volunteers allows us to process more applications. The number of calls sometimes reaches 20-25 per day. The hotline 098 01 80 808 is also available for this service.
The NGO pays special attention to children. In order to give the kids a little bit of their childhood, which was taken away by the war, a special space was set up in a safe and comfortable place. Here they can play, engage in creative activities and sports, and study.
"First of all, I wanted to do this again because of the evacuation. While we were talking with our parents about leaving, the children would not sit around and get bored. At the same time, adults would see how good it is for kids in such a place, and this would encourage them to listen to our advice," says Ihor Chornyi.
Teachers, psychologists, and coaches work at the children's hub. Photo: Ihor Chornyi
But eventually it became an integral part of the team's work. Today, the hub employs a psychologist, a speech and language pathologist, and craftsmen of various profiles. There is a separate game room and gym where sambo, judo, and gymnastics classes are held. Adults are also actively involved in sports activities. Work is also underway to organize classrooms to teach computer science and robotics, English and Ukrainian.
"This is a comprehensive development and psycho-emotional relief. We are constantly trying to come up with something new to make it useful and interesting. Many volunteers help us with this, and we can list them for a long time, but we are grateful to everyone. Recently, for example, Svitlana Belobrova-Beresh sent us soft little ottomans," Ihor notes.
Currently, the volunteers are creating a room to work with the elderly. They plan to hold various trainings, meetings and master classes there.
"We want to involve pensioners in certain activities that will bring them pleasure and benefit society. For example, creating crafts or knitting. Because there are many lonely people in the city who are deprived of socializing and activities for the soul. And they really need it. I also have a dream that we will definitely realize - to hold dances once a week. As it was in the years of their youth, near our famous oak tree in Shevchenko Park," says Igor.
The volunteer does not hide the fact that the proximity of the Russian army makes it difficult to implement more new projects. Despite this, he has no intention of stopping, because someone has to restore Kherson region. In addition, the team sets goals to support the left bank after its liberation. We are convinced that they will be among the first to arrive there and there will be a lot of work. Therefore, they are already accumulating some resources.
"Still, the main task of our team is to get people out of the dangerous areas before it's too late. It's a risk, but if you do something sincerely and with good intentions, everything will be fine. At least we believe that. So we are here, we continue to work for Kherson and its people," summarizes Ihor Chornyi.
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