The village of Stary Saltiv, which is located in Kharkiv province, was occupied by Russian troops in the very first days of the Russian full-fledged invasion of Ukraine. Some of the locals managed to make it to the Ukrainian government-controlled territories, while others had to endure Russian occupation.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated Stary Saltiv in early May 2022. While retreating, Russian occupants began shelling the village, having destroyed many houses and objects of infrastructure. Local residents were cut off from electricity and mobile connection.
At present the village is coming back to life with the help of volunteers. One of the volunteers is a local citizen, Yuri Bozhko, who is also a volunteer of the charitable foundation “Sloboda UA”.
After the liberation of Stary Saltiv Yuri helped people evacuate to safer places. Eventually, he and other volunteers began bringing humanitarian aid and setting up a hub in the village.
“We distribute humanitarian aid and food packages. We also receive warm clothing for children, men and women. We distribute two or three garments per person, so that everyone can get at least something”.
The hub offers coffee and access to the internet.
“Before when there was no electricity, people hardly had any connection. They could come to us, access the internet or call their nearest and dearest living abroad, or they could simply watch the news about what was happening in Kharkiv or Ukraine in general“.
Watch our video about the Russian occupation, the liberation of Stary Saltiv and its coming back to life.
