On May 10, 2026, Bishop Filaret of Skadovsk and Alyoshka met with volunteers of the Patriarchal Humanitarian Mission at the Church of the Holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon in the city of Skadovsk, Kherson region.
Over tea, the parties discussed topical issues of the life of the Kherson region, the situation with the wards of the Mission, as well as the difficulties faced by volunteers in their ministry. The participants of the meeting expressed their joy at the conversation. Bishop Filaret assured that such meetings would become regular.
The Patriarchal Humanitarian Mission has been working in the Kherson region since the tragedy at the Kakhovskaya HPP in June 2023, when thousands of people were suddenly deprived of their homes and farms due to flooding. Initially, assistance was provided in temporary accommodation facilities, where residents of flooded areas were evacuated. Regular humanitarian missions to remote settlements were organized jointly with the Special Humanitarian Center of the Crimean Metropolis. Since January 2025, a permanent assistance center for the Patriarchal Humanitarian Mission has been operating in Skadovsk. Since the summer of 2025, regular shifts of volunteers have begun here.
During this time, over 3,000 requests for assistance were processed, more than 100 visits were made to small settlements along the Dnieper River, and more than a thousand tons of humanitarian aid were delivered. More than 160 volunteers from all over the country took part in this work.
The Russian Orthodox Church has been helping civilians in Donbas since February 2022. There are 12 church aid centers in the border areas, Moscow and the conflict zone, which have processed over 385,000 requests. More than 4,230 tons of humanitarian aid have been transferred to the victims. More than 7,300 volunteers participated in helping the victims. As part of the project to restore private housing for those in need in the conflict zone, 760 private homes have been restored. The Patriarchal Humanitarian Mission coordinates the social assistance of the Church in the regions of the SVR zone.