How Volunteers Organized a Massive Evacuation in Early War-Hit Kharkiv Region

Wed, 06 May 2026 19:09:00 +0200

At the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, parts of the Kharkiv region were cut off from the rest of the country, leaving residents trapped without official 'green corridors.' Local volunteers, despite poor communication and limited information about the so-called 'gray zones,' managed to organize one of the largest evacuation operations of the early war, helping 16,000 Ukrainians leave occupied territories. The story follows Pavel and Jazi, a couple forced to flee the occupied village of Shevchenkove while Jazi was five months pregnant. Facing blocked roads and armed Russian checkpoints, their first attempts failed, highlighting the danger and uncertainty of evacuation. Through the Helping to Leave volunteer organization, Dina, a volunteer from Kyiv, coordinated safe routes by gathering information from locals and mapping out dangerous areas. Volunteers relied on detailed instructions and improvised strategies, often communicating verbally to avoid detection. The operation in