The premiere of a film about the sisters of mercy and the Church's assistance to victims in the conflict zone will take place in St. Petersburg.

On May 15, 2026, the premiere of a documentary film about the ministry of the sisters of Mercy and church volunteers in Donbas, "Out of the Comfort Zone", will take place at the Cinema House in St. Petersburg. The film was shot by the Lendok Film Studio with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Synodal Department for Church Charity and Social Service.
Sister of Mercy of the Patriarchal Humanitarian Mission Irina Khudyakova, instead of a quiet life in Moscow, chose to care for the wounded in hospitals in Donbass and travel with humanitarian aid to people who live near the line of contact. Efrosinya Morozova, a graduate of St. Demetrius College of Sisters of Mercy, decided that she should go to the Rostov hospital: to work where it is hardest. Sergei Zhukov became the head of the church's aid center in Mariupol, where hundreds of civilians seek medicines, food, clothing, legal, medical and psychological help. Through the stories of the characters, the film shows how life continues thanks to faith, hope and love.
After the premiere screening at the Cinema House in St. Petersburg, a discussion will take place where the audience will have the opportunity to share their impressions and ask a question to the creators and characters of the film.
The Synodal Department for Charity coordinates the work of church social institutions and initiatives of the Russian Orthodox Church in Russia and other countries, including shelters for women in crisis, projects to help people with disabilities, humanitarian aid centers, homeless shelters, sisterhoods of mercy, centers for the dependent, and volunteer services. With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, there is a 24-hour church social assistance hotline at 8-800-70-70-222, which receives over 7,000 calls per month with a wide variety of requests and needs. You can subscribe to a regular donation to the Synodal Charity Department on the Department's website.
St. Alexy's Church Hospital is a multidisciplinary medical hospital of the Russian Orthodox Church, one of the main centers for the training and development of sisterhoods for the care of seriously ill and bedridden patients. Classrooms have been opened in 19 cities, including the DPR, LPR, Crimea, Belarus and Kazakhstan. Every week, the sisters of mercy go to care for the wounded and injured civilians of Donbass. 
The Patriarchal Humanitarian Mission was established in 2023 to systematically provide humanitarian assistance to civilians in the DPR, LPR, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions. Currently, church aid centers are operating in 12 cities. They have received more than 370,000 requests, and more than 4,000 tons of humanitarian aid have been sent to refugees and injured civilians.