“Nastya Can Already Tell the Difference Between Glide Bombs and FPV Drones”: How “Eleos-Ukraine” Helps Evacuate Those Who Held Out Until the Very End in Kharkiv Region

Hanna Mykhailivna did not want to leave Kozacha Lopan, a village in northern Kharkiv region that has been almost completely destroyed by the war.

First, her son was injured during shelling. Then, when she attempted to leave the village on her own, she was struck by an enemy FPV drone. After undergoing surgery, she still hoped to return to her home village. But by then, all roads leading back were under constant aerial surveillance and attack.

The Kharkiv team of NGO Eleos-Ukraine helped Hanna Mykhailivna evacuate safely to Kharkiv. In addition to the evacuation itself, she received psychological and legal counseling, as well as assistance in accessing support services through partners at the Transit Center. Throughout the journey, Hanna Mykhailivna could not hold back her tears as she thanked the volunteers.

A few dozen kilometers away, in the village of Lozova in Bohodukhiv district, the Chepurny family stayed in their home until the very last moment. Despite constant drone attacks and the closure of the farm where they had worked, the family — including their young children — could not bring themselves to leave their land and home.

The clearest indication of what their lives had become was that five-year-old Nastya had learned to distinguish, by sound alone, between guided aerial bombs, Molniya drones, and FPV drones.

In recent weeks, the family had been spending every night in their cellar.

"When a neighbor rode a bicycle to his garden and a drone struck nearby, we realized that we also had to leave. Our nerves simply couldn't take it anymore," the family recalls. "Thank you to the volunteers for not abandoning us. We weren't sure anyone would come for us so quickly. You can see for yourself what the roads are like — they are all under drone surveillance."

After evacuation and registration for assistance, the family was taken to the bus station in Kharkiv, from where they continued their journey to Rivne region, hoping that one day they would be able to return home.

The Road of Hope project is implemented by Eleos-Ukraine in partnership with Johanniter International Assistance, with financial support from Aktion Deutschland Hilft.