Report on church relief aid to people affected by hostilities in Kursk and Belgorod regions as of August 15, 2024

DECR Communication service, August 16, 2024.

On August 15, Archpriest Mikhail Potokin, acting head of the Synodal Department for Charity and the Patriarchal Humanitarian Mission, arrived in Kursk. He visited the Holy Trinity convent in Kursk, where work is underway to organize a comprehensive church center for assisting displaced persons, and met with the abbess of the monastery, Susanna (Barykina). He also spoke with volunteers and staff at the assistance center. On the same day, a meeting was held with representatives of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and Metropolitan German of Kursk and Rylsk. During the meeting with Metropolitan German, issues of pastoral care for the wounded in hospitals and church assistance for refugees in temporary accommodation centers were discussed. Representatives of the Synodal Department for Charity were also present: the head of the sector for interaction with dioceses, Deacon Igor Kulikov; the coordinator of regional refugee assistance headquarters, Natalia Kuleva; and press secretary Vasily Rulinsky.

Father Mikhail Potokin and the staff of the Synodal Department for Charity also visited a temporary accommodation center for refugees located in the Kursk circus, where humanitarian aid for the affected was delivered. The aid was provided by the Church of the Renewal of the Temple of the Resurrection in Uspensky Vrazhek, Moscow. Today, 102 people are housed in the temporary accommodation center at the circus hotel, and more than 1,000 people receive assistance here daily, supported by over 200 volunteers. During the visit, Father Mikhail Potokin was informed about the needs of the people and discussed ways to support the affected.

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On August 15, 2024, the hot line of the Synodal Department for Charity received 36 inquiries fr om the Kursk region (on August 14 there had been 31 inquiries). Of these, 22 requested assistance, and 14 offered their help. Three families were assisted with housing. Since August 7, 2024, the hot line has received a total of 391 inquiries from the Kursk region.

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Compared to the previous day, the number of families reaching out to the Moscow refugee assistance headquarters of the Synodal Department for Charity increased threefold. During the day, 17 families (61 people) from the Kursk region contacted the Moscow headquarters (compare with 6 families and 16 people on August 14). Almost all of them arrived to stay with relatives or friends. All families that reached out were provided with humanitarian aid (food, hygiene products, household chemicals). Additionally, upon request, pillows, bedding, blankets, beds with mattresses, and dishes were provided to refugees. One family received assistance with housing. In one day, the Moscow headquarters received 101 deliveries of aid from churches and concerned citizens. Since August 6, 2024, a total of 57 families (174 people) from the Kursk region have reached out to the Moscow refugee assistance headquarters, with 578 deliveries of aid received.

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In one day, 49 families (57 families on August 14) contacted the church headquarters for refugee assistance in Belgorod, located in the Marfo-Mariinsky Monastery. An additional 5 families reached out via the hot line. Humanitarian aid (food, hygiene products, bedding, pillows, blankets, clothing) was received by 114 people: 72 from Belgorod region and border areas, 19 from Kursk region, 15 from the Kharkov direction, and 8 from the Donetsk People's Republic, Luganks People's Republic, and Ukraine. Since August 6, 2024, a total of 86 people from the Kursk region have contacted the church headquarters for refugee assistance in Belgorod.

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Throughout the day, special work had been done to organize a comprehensive church center for assisting displaced persons at the Holy Trinity convent in Kursk: unloading and sorting humanitarian aid, preparing the premises, ordering leaflets, banners, and signs.

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On August 15, Archpriest Sergey Klyayev, a representative of the Synodal Department for Charity, visited the Kursk Regional Clinical Hospital, wh ere he met with the hospital's chief doctor. They discussed issues of pastoral care for patients in the hospital. On the same day, Father Sergey Klyayev met with representatives of the military department, during which the procedure for priests from the Synodal Department for Charity to visit the wounded in hospitals was established. The work will be organized similarly to how it is arranged in the conflict zone. Priests will come to Kursk on a two-week assignment and will visit the wounded in hospitals and clinics every day.

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The Synodal Department for Charity purchased 10 beds, 12 mattresses, blankets, pillows, and bedding for the St. Elizabeth Mercy House in Livny (Oryol region) to accommodate refugees from the Kursk region. Currently, a family with a 21-year-old son with autism is already residing there. Tomorrow, another refugee with a disability from Rylsk in the Kursk region will arrive in Livny. In total, Livny can accommodate two more families—approximately 10 people, primarily large families and families with disabled individuals, reports diakonia.ru

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Report on church relief aid to people affected by hostilities in Kursk and Belgorod regions as of August 15, 2024

Patriarch

Department Chairman

Sermons

Patriarch

Department Chairman

Sermons