Employees of the Synodal Department for Church Charity and Social Service — Natalia Letavina, head of the Development Department of the Patriarchal Humanitarian Mission, and Irina Khudyakova, Sister of Mercy — went to Belgorod on February 10, 2026 to help residents during the heating shutdown.
During the trip, a meeting was held with Metropolitan John of Belgorod and Starooskolsky and Maxim Balakhonov, First Deputy head of the Belgorod administration. Representatives of the Belgorod Diocese were also present at the meeting. The meeting participants discussed the current situation in the city and assistance to the affected residents. M. Balakhonov noted the need to provide residents with heating points and support the city's infrastructure. The meeting participants also discussed the possible preparation of the Marfo-Mariinsky Monastery as a point of heating and receiving people, if necessary.
On the same day, employees of the Synodal Department for Charity met with Natalia Timofeeva, head of the Belgorod Social Protection Department, and discussed how the Church could help the affected residents. Representatives of the Synodal Department for Charity will join the rounds of the affected houses and find out the targeted needs of residents.
On the eve of February 9, the Synodal Department for Charity in Moscow held a meeting on the organization of assistance to residents of Belgorod. The meeting was attended by Deacon Igor Kulikov, Director of the Patriarchal Humanitarian Mission, Head of the Department of Social Service of the Synodal Department for Charity, representatives of the Patriarchal Humanitarian Mission, head of the Center for Refugees and Injured Civilians at the Marfo-Mariinsky Monastery in Belgorod, elder sister of the Marfo-Mariinsky Sisterhood Elena Khimchenko. At the meeting, issues of support for residents of Belgorod who were left without heating were discussed and an algorithm of actions was developed to provide assistance.
"The local authorities are doing a lot, heating points are deployed, social protection is working quickly. The diocesan relief center at the Marfo-Mariinsky Monastery is operating in an enhanced mode. Nevertheless, according to the experience of all such incidents, the most needy people do not reach the help points, but are in their own homes — these are lonely old people, people with disabilities, and people with limited mobility," said Deacon Igor Kulikov. — Today we are starting to visit those apartment buildings where there has been no heat for the longest time. The first volunteer teams were formed. So far, there are 24 houses on the list, some of which have eight entrances. In the near future, this will be a priority area of our work in Belgorod."
Archpriest Mikhail Potokin, Chairman of the Synodal Department for Charity, is in constant contact with Metropolitan John of Belgorod and Starooskolsky.
All those affected and in need of help can contact the Synodal Charity Department's hotline number +7(800) 70-70-222 around the clock.