










































10 
 

The Extraordinary Efforts of Ordinary 
People in Ukraine 
 
 
Kristalena Herman 
University of Cambridge 
 
 
Introduction: Background on the Ukrainian Conflict 
After Russia again invaded Ukraine in 2022, the lives of many Ukrainians were forever 
changed. Over 10 million Ukrainians have been displaced by the invasion, with an article 
from June stating that the rate of Ukrainian casualties are between 600 and 1000 a day.1 
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has created the largest refugee crisis in the world, its scale 
comparable to that of Syria and Venezuela, according to the United Nations.2 As a result, 
many Ukrainians are reflecting on their skill sets to see what they can do to benefit their 
country and help their communities. In June, Ukrainian civilians raised over $20 million for 
2 Bayraktar armed drones, with Forbes saying that 42.3% of the donations made were less 
than $3.40.3 Musicians are organizing charity concerts to raise money for military and 
medical equipment, medical professionals provide first aid training, citizens arrange clean 
ups and local fundraisers, with some even creating non-profits in order to best support 
their communities. This phenomenon is happening all across Ukraine, from Lviv to Kharkiv, 
Zhytomyr to Mykolayiv. 
 
To understand the war in Ukraine as it stands now, one must first erase the idea that Russia 
and Ukraine are—or ever were—“brothers” as many politicians, including French 
President Emmanuel Macron, seem to believe.4 During the period of Kyivan Rus, which 
began in the ninth century, Ukrainians emerged around the center of Kyivan Rus in Kyiv. 

 
1 Trevor Hughes, “‘We Are Too Tired to Be Nervous’: Some Ukrainian Refugees Return Home, despite 
Escalating Russian Attacks,” USA Today, March 23, 2022, 
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2022/03/23/ukrainian-refugees-return-despite-russian-
war/7128658001/. Dan Sabbagh, “Ukraine’s High Casualty Rate Could Bring War to Tipping Point,” The 
Guardian, June 10, 2022, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/10/ukraine-casualty-rate-russia-
war-tipping-point. 
2 Anna Giaritelli, “Displaced Ukrainians now tie for largest refugee crisis worldwide,” Washington Examiner, 
August 31, 2022, https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/displaced-ukrainians-now-tie-for-largest-
refugee-crisis-worldwide/ar-AA11ktJT. 
3 Любов Петрушко, “Майже половину збору «Народний Байрактар» забезпечили внески до 100 грн. У 
фонді Притули розповіли, як люди скидувались на безпілотники,” Forbes, July 5, 2022, 
https://forbes.ua/news/kozhna-kopiyka-mae-znachennya-mayzhe-polovinu-zboru-narodniy-bayraktar-
zabespechili-vneski-do-1000-grn-u-fondi-prituli-rozkazali-yak-lyudi-skiduvalis-na-bayraktari-05072022-
6997?fbclid=IwAR1MSiT7uxGVWhy_ISgFyK_krNOKiLSSxwZ1MdlCx70MChq71_O7kIP9cWA. 
4 Simon Bouvier, “Macron rejects use of the term ‘genocide’ to describe Russian atrocities in Ukraine,” CNN, 
April 13, 2022, https://edition.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-putin-news-04-13-
22/h_e5589f9c279f7e5568fb9aebe5dfdb8e. 



11 
 

The state of Kyivan Rus was broken up by the Mongol invasion in thirteenth century.5 The 
Grand Duchy of Moscow emerged, which would later become Russia, while Ukraine and 
Kyiv were absorbed by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In the sixteenth century, the term 
Ukraine came to refer to the area between Poland-Lithuania and the growing principality of 
Moscow.6 Many Ukrainians fled religious persecution and serfdom from Poland, and the 
Cossacks led a successful revolution against Polish rule in 1648.  
 
After breaking from Polish-Lithuanian rule, a treaty was created with Moscow that allowed 
Ukraine a measure of autonomy while still recognizing that Moscow was “superior”; 

however Russia did not respect the 
terms of this treaty and treated 
Ukrainians with contempt.7 After 
becoming disillusioned by the alliance 
and the treatment of the Ukrainian 
people, Ukraine created a new treaty 
with Poland.8 Ukraine did not gain full 
independence until January 1918, but 
this was short lived and followed by 
years of violence and oppression 
perpetuated by the Soviet state. In 
1932, Josef Stalin committed genocide, 
referred to as the Holodomor—an 
artificial famine that was created by 
the Soviet state. It is estimated that 4 
million Ukrainians starved to death 
between 1932 and 1933 (although 
some scholars estimate that the 
number may be higher than 7 
million).9 In 1991, Ukraine gained 
independence once again from Russia, 
but in 2014, Russia invaded again and 
has since occupied the Ukrainian 
territory of Crimea. Years of violence 
and oppression at the hands of the 
Russian state fractures the view of 
many Western countries that the two 
nations were ever brotherly. 

 
5 “Ukraine—History,” Encyclopædia Britannica, 2019, https://www.britannica.com/place/Ukraine/History, 
accessed September 4, 2022. 
6 “History—The Past that Shaped Present Day Ukraine,” Ukraine.com, 
https://www.ukraine.com/culture/history-of-ukraine/, accessed September 10, 2022. 
7 “Ukraine—History,” Encyclopædia Britannica. 
8 “Ukraine—History,” Encyclopædia Britannica. 
9 “Holodomor,” University of Minnesota Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, 2018, 
https://cla.umn.edu/chgs/holocaust-genocide-education/resource-guides/holodomor, accessed September 
4, 2022. 

Photo of the Holodomor Museum in Kyiv taken in 
February 2020. 

https://www.britannica.com/place/Ukraine/History
https://www.ukraine.com/culture/history-of-ukraine/
https://cla.umn.edu/chgs/holocaust-genocide-education/resource-guides/holodomor


12 
 

 
With this longer history and the lasting impact of the Holodomor in mind, it is easier to 
understand why Ukraine must resist against Russian aggression and why so many 
Ukrainians have become involved in this resistance movement. There are hundreds of 
stories of ordinary Ukrainians who have worked hard since the Russian invasion to support 
their country and community. Stories emerged of teachers who began projects to raise 
money and organize the transportation of thousands of IFAKS (Individual First Aid Kits) 
from America to Ukraine for the Ukrainian military. Examples such as Anna, who is a 
Ukrainian social media consultant but began working with the charity organization Star 
Life after raising money independently to coordinate humanitarian aid for people of 
Poltava and the purchase, transport, and delivery of bullet proof vests and military 
equipment to military regiments. Or even stories like that of Yulia Tymoshenko, who was 
an analyst at a consulting company in Kyiv prior to the invasion but now works in activist 
spaces for organizations, such as Saint Javelin, and raises money to support families who 
were victims of Russian occupation in her hometown of Zavorychi—changing the entire 
trajectory of her career path as a result of Russian aggression. Even organizations such as 
schools and hospitals had to pivot dramatically in the face of war and their focus and 
approach to work has changed dramatically since February 2022. Schools in the West 
converted into refugee centers and schools in the East, such as the school I once worked at 
in Konotop, raise money to support the demining of their area after the Russian troops 
receded or collect funds to help schools in other areas heavier hit like Chernihiv.  
 
It is impossible to condense each Ukrainian’s experiences and incredible stories of 
strength, resilience, and resistance to Russian oppression uniquely into one article. When I 
asked two Ukrainians about their experiences, they described how their perspectives have 
transformed with the war and the changes they saw in Ukrainians in their community.  
 
 
Interview with Oleksii: Working to Provide Humanitarian Aid in Mykolayiv 
Oleksii is the owner of Concord Project Ltd. and CEO of a medical facility in Mykolayiv, a 
city that has been bombarded by Russia nearly every day since the beginning of the war.10 
Since February, he has been coordinating not only humanitarian aid but also courses on 
tactical medicine, raising funds, and acquiring necessary equipment, such as ambulances 
and trauma kits, and even establishing a water filtration system to give citizens access to 
clean drinking water. 
 
How would you say your mindset and your approach to work has changed since February 
24th? 
Once the war began, we started organizing and focusing on how we could provide 
immediate help—anything we could do to help the community. Because of my project 
management skills, I knew I would be really helpful in organizing within the community. 
My friends are here, my work is here, and I understood that leaving the country was not 
realistic or helpful.  
 

 
10 This interview took place in July. Since then, there have been renewed attacks on Mykolayiv. 



13 
 

As for my approach to work and my profession, business is difficult due to the invasion, so 
we all shifted to volunteering and helping actively within the community. We started 
focusing on local problems first. For example, we knew that stores didn’t have any food, so 
we started working on gathering food for the community. We tried to be responsive and 
help with any new issues that arose. Now that stores have food, we are able to focus on new 
issues like ambulances and water filtration systems.  
 
How has your work changed as the invasion continued? What would you say things looked 
like in the early weeks compared to now? 

With volunteers and donations from 
abroad, I reached out to people I had 
been interacting with previously about 
how they can help us. As things 
continued, Mykolayiv was getting 
bombed every day, so working on 
architecture would be futile. We have 
recently started to begin rebuilding 
Mykolayiv. We opened a market, and the 
clinic began providing humanitarian 
help free of charge. We also began 
helping the nearby city of Kherson 
because our situation in Mykolayiv is 
improving. We offered them free 
medical care and labor. 
 
Right now, the situation is a little 
different [and Mykolayiv is not being 
bombed as often], the danger seems 
more distant. We are doing our jobs and 
must continue to live and work. We 
must focus on systematic and economic 
assistance instead. If we don’t work, if 
we don’t continue our economic 
processes, then we will have an issue for 
the whole nation.  
 
What role did other Ukrainian civilians 
play in your war effort? For example, 
volunteering, fundraising, etc.? 
We had over 100 Ukrainians who 
assisted as volunteers, but every 
Ukrainian fundraises and works 
actively to help with the war effort. We 
had a lot of help in the beginning. In 

Mykolayiv everyone tried to become very actively involved in the war effort. We did not 
want the Russians to move into Mykolayiv. In Kherson they took longer to organize 

Photo of Oleksii's office in Mykolayiv after it was 
bombed on September 15, 2022. 

 



14 
 

themselves and were unable to slow Russian forces as a result. Our work was to ensure 
that they would not take Mykolayiv and Odesa. Ukraine is the type of nation that is very 
united and works hard. We always come together to persevere in difficult situations.  
 
 
Interview with Zhanna: Finding Opportunities to Help in Zhytomyr 
I also spoke with Zhanna, the director of a non-profit in Zhytomyr, called the Zhytomyr 
Community Fund, which was founded in 2012. When the war began, the non-profit which 
typically focuses on microgrants and supporting local businesses and entrepreneurs turned 
its attention to community efforts to provide humanitarian aid.  
 
Can you explain what you did for work prior to the invasion in February?  
I worked in the nonprofit sector and my main goals were to help and sustain the 
community and programs focused on business and entrepreneurship. [The Zhytomyr 
Community Fund] had experience working with internally displaced people (IDP) from 
2015 to 2019. We partnered with the state’s agency of immigration, and we focused 
primarily on jobs and things for Zhytomyr. Working with IDPs is not new for this 
organization and on the first day of war, we realized it was necessary to do something. I 
made the choice for the direction of the program and worked with the organization. I went 
to city council to raise money with the community fund. I was thinking, “What are my 
strengths and experiences? What can I do? I don’t know what I will fundraise for or what 
goals we have, but I need to do it.” I asked the city council what goals we had for our 
community and what ends we are working towards. The deputy of the city council called on 
February 25th to ask if I could start the campaign by myself. At first, my colleagues did not 
want to be a public face for the campaign because of the inherent risks associated with it. 
Since then, we managed to raise over $450,000 over four months as just a small local 
community foundation, and we received money from all around the world. We managed to 
help IDPs, victims of Russian soldiers, the military, etc.  
 
We are currently working to buy military cars and to support students from Lyceum 25, 
which was destroyed. The war made us professionals in many different fields. We would 
modify our roles as new people joined the team and remain flexible as some members were 
evacuated and work remotely while others stayed and worked. Everything is very 
transparent—people from abroad wanted to provide humanitarian aid and now the IDPs 
are able to receive that support. Everyone was just trying to look for opportunities to help.  
 
How would you say your mindset and your approach to work has changed since February 
24th? 
You start to feel professional burn out—it influenced emotional well-being and physical 
well-being. I realized that it is necessary to find at least one day per week to rest. The work 
had such an influence on everyone, and we have all aged so much since the invasion. It is 
impossible to make long-term plans. You must plan only for the short-term. We are looking 
for different opportunities to help—Lyceum 25 buys materials for these students such as 
desks, chairs, and computers to organize a place for them to study. For the older students, 
maybe they can study online, but younger students need the structure of in-person classes. 



15 
 

Right now, we are focusing on uniting people and fundraising for cities beyond Zhytomyr to 
help other children in Ukraine.  
 

 
 

Lyceum No. 25 in Zhytomyr, Ukraine, after being bombed on March 3, 2022. Photo from 
Zhytomyr Community Fund. 

 
Since the invasion, would you say that there is a stronger sense of identity and community 
among Ukrainian civilians?  
The Ukrainian spirit—people came to realize that they are Ukrainians. Their identity 
became stronger, and they united because they found common ground fighting against 
Russian terrorists. People can unite their resources and information.  
 
This organization has been working with philanthropy long-term—you can volunteer, 
provide your expertise, and you can provide information to others as a volunteer. This war 
made it so that every single Ukrainian became a volunteer in some capacity. They give 
whatever they can—cook food at home and bring it to defense centers, bring information 
and share, etc. The war relief effort has been extremely unified. Everyone realized that they 
should do something to defend the community, the city, their own family, and themselves. 
It is really valuable. For the people who are opposed to Russia, it is very valuable to be 
Ukrainian. They are giving their lives and are victims of aggression and violence at the 
hands of Russian soldiers. Ukraine is the wall between Russia and Europe. Ukrainians are 
giving their lives to defend not only Ukraine, but all of Europe and their values. If Ukraine 
were to stand down, they would move on to Moldova. 
 
What role did other Ukrainian civilians play in your war effort? For example, volunteering, 
fundraising, etc.?  
A lot of new initiatives and non-profit groups have started in Zhytomyr. People started to 
create charitable organizations and civil society, but they don’t necessarily follow the rules. 



16 
 

There are some problems with this because they may be criminal and embezzle money—
whether intentionally or due to lack of experience and knowledge. [The Zhytomyr 
Community Fund] can be an example to these new organizations of how to do things 
properly. We can also provide support for smaller initiatives that started after the Russian 
invasion, organizations which could give a bad reputation to humanitarian organizations 
and civil society because of their inability to properly track finances or provide 
transparency. People realized they could be useful in some way after the invasion, and they 
noticed another purpose for life. They recognized that they could be helpful to their 
community, city, and country, even if by only helping one other person. It is something that 
helps motivate them to keep going. They noticed a reason they can be helpful and become a 
part of something in a positive way.  
 
It is not possible to work with just humanitarian aid for a non-profit. The community 
foundation is a charitable organization to work on things that we need in the community 
such as microgrants and financial assistance.  
 
How has your work changed as the invasion continued? What would you say things looked 
like in the early weeks compared to now? 
We added support of military units and of individual soldiers. Before the invasion, we 
didn’t have that experience—it was only the victims and IDPs. Right now, we are looking 
for programs to help IDPs—we made a survey of IDPs in Zhytomyr. It is interesting to me 
that food is the most important issue; 82% confirmed that food is the first priority. Second 
priority is housing and homes. Third category is work and employment. We focus our 
activities and projects on these priorities and modify our approach based on their 
feedback. It is necessary to change things because of the war as our ongoing projects were 
frozen and we had to modify our new plans. We had a project for a civil society 
organization and were creating plans for education, operations, subgrants, etc. Now we’ve 
signed with many local civil society organizations to conduct activities in their 
communities within the context of war. We provide information to these new organizations 
for them to learn about fundraising and project management.  
 
What impact do you think the Zhytomyr Community Fund has on the community? How would 
you describe the relationship of the organization and the community population? 
We follow the principle that we should understand the needs and respond to these needs. 
As a civil society organization, we did our best with the resources we had. We became 
helpful and we assist in any way we can—if we had more human resources, maybe we 
could be more effective, but always you can be more effective. But with the resources we 
have, we just did our best. It is truly the results of our whole team and not just of me as a 
single person. We are responsible for the donations, and it is our responsibility to spend 
the money in an effective way. Our activity could leave an impact as we can show how civil 
society organizations need to make reports, be transparent, and be an example to others. 
Maybe there is a chance for other organizations to follow this example and show the city 
and government that civil society can provide support. The government could feel like they 
have a partner in civil society sphere. I don’t think that we did a lot of things, we just did 
something, but it is not enough to just stop the war. Everything we’ve done and what we 
will do doesn’t stop the war and it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  



17 
 

 

 
 

Donation boxes to support IDPs at the Zhytomyr Community Fund's office. Photo from 
Zhytomyr Community Fund. 

 
For others outside of Ukraine, what would you say is the most important thing for them to 
know about the work of non-profits like Zhytomyr Community Fund? How can we continue to 
support Ukraine on the ground?  
It’s important to understand that Russia has more resources and money and they abuse the 
situation with Ukraine. It is important to help us by giving Ukrainians a voice in your 
country and uplifting Ukrainian experiences and voices whenever possible. It is great 
support to show that this is not only a war in Ukraine, but it is a problem for everyone all 
over the world. So the first way to help is to help with spreading information and using 
Ukrainian sources to combat disinformation from Russia.  
 
Second, if you have any ability to help us acquire weapons, especially for long distance 
weapons, this would be really useful. Ukraine has only four of these machines to cover 
hundreds of kilometers on the frontline.  
 
Third, it is important to provide assistance to the Ukrainians who are abroad. It is 
important to support those in your country. It is impossible to know when this will end, 
and it is important to continue to support these communities over the long term. The 
Russians have truly destroyed everything, and many refugees don’t have a place to live in 
Ukraine as Russians burn the land afterward. 
 
Fourth, if there is any opportunity to provide assistance and support for Ukrainians at the 
frontline, this would help immensely. You may have the ability to provide anything that can 
be useful or to give something to support them.  



18 
 

 
 
Concluding Thoughts 
While the war in Ukraine is ongoing, it is important to remember the people affected at the 
center of it. While news sources focus on how Russian aggression continues to demolish 
infrastructure and threaten nuclear power plants, it is important to remember the effect 
the war continues to have on civilians. Ukrainians continue to lose their lives and 
livelihoods to Russian aggression and are often subjected to war crimes in occupied 
territories.11 It is the tireless work of ordinary Ukrainians like Oleksii, Zhanna, and many 
others that has made the difference in not only taking back land from Russian occupation 
but holding their position in the East and supporting their communities in the aftermath. 
Ukrainians continue to unite to fight, rebuild, and support one another through countless 
acts of bravery and resilience. It is imperative to recognize the sacrifice many Ukrainians 
make in their fight against oppression and for freedom and independence in Eastern 
Europe. 
 
To support Zhanna’s organization in Zhytomyr, visit Фонд громади Житомира/Zhytomyr 
Community Fund for more information, including detailed reports of financial records and 
spending. To support Oleksii and Mykolayiv, visit In United Force for more information. To 
learn more about other ways to support Ukraine, visit the government’s official webpage at 
https://war.ukraine.ua/support-ukraine or visit www.defendukraine.org for a list of 
verified fundraisers and charities. To support refugees, you can look into refugee 
resettlement programs working in your area. For the US, information can be found at 
Ukrainian Assistance Resources | The Administration for Children and Families (hhs.gov). 

 
11 Russia's War Crimes: Beyond evil, even during war, Ukraine.ua, 2022, https://war.ukraine.ua/russia-war-
crimes/, accessed 1 September 2022. 

http://www.fondgromady.org.ua/en/
http://www.fondgromady.org.ua/en/
https://inunitedforce.com/finansova-dopomoga/
https://war.ukraine.ua/support-ukraine
http://www.defendukraine.org/
https://www.acf.hhs.gov/orr/programs/refugees/ukrainian-assistance-resources
https://war.ukraine.ua/russia-war-crimes/
https://war.ukraine.ua/russia-war-crimes/

