Newsletters July 2026

Mike recently returned from a field mission in Ukraine, which took place from 15 to 28 June, with visits to Zhytomyr, Kyiv and Kharkiv. Below are some extracts and observations from his field notes.

General observations:

Views on the government vary greatly. Those who have lost a son, husband or family member in the war are often critical of the authorities. The same is true for families affected by forced conscription, and for those whose homes have been destroyed by bombing.

Some of those who are most dissatisfied describe the political situation as drifting towards authoritarianism, drawing comparisons with the regime in Russia. By contrast, people who have not experienced such direct losses or destruction are generally more supportive of the government and believe that President Zelensky is doing his job.

Based on various conversations, Ukrainian society appears deeply divided, with strong and often opposing views.

People are completely exhausted by the war. There is a deep weariness and a growing sense of uncertainty about the future. Smiles have become rare, and laughter rarer still.

Forced recruitment of young men — often from the age of 23 — is frequently described as harsh and, in many cases, deeply corrupt.Several thousand dollars will pay your way out of conscription or even secure release from the army. This is strongly criticised by many citizens.

International humanitarian aid remains concentrated almost entirely on areas close to the front line. Ukrainian NGOs working further west in the country feel increasingly overlooked, and many describe the lack of support from wealthier countries as profoundly unfair.

Kharkiv region:

Before the “full-scale invasion” — the term commonly used in Ukraine to describe the second phase of Russia’s war, launched in February 2022 — Kharkiv had around 1.5 million inhabitants. It was one of the major economic and industrial centres of eastern Ukraine, with significant commercial and manufacturing activity.

Daily life was once marked by constant movement: busy roads, crowded streets, busy railway lines and thriving businesses.

Today, that level of activity has fallen dramatically. There is perhaps only a tenth of the movement that existed before the war. Many factories and shops have closed, and an estimated 600,000 residents have left the city.

At the same time, around 700,000 internally displaced people — mainly from areas occupied by Russian and allied forces — have taken refuge in Kharkiv. Most of them remain without stable employment, lack even basic resources, and depend heavily on emergency aid.

Mike writes:

“In Kharkiv, I learned how to distinguish the type of weapon falling from the sky. If you hear a slow sound like a lawnmower, it means a drone is approaching, and you may still have time to take cover. But if the sound is only a brief ‘hhhssshhh’, then it is a missile — and there is not even time to breathe.”

Text in image: “Unexploded Russian drone recovered from the ground” — “Residential buildings hit a few days before my arrival in Kharkiv”.

Text in image: “A five-year-old child was killed during a bombing near a nursery school. Neighbours erected this small memorial where the explosion occurred.”

Human Trafficking: A Persistent and Worsening Threat :

Our partner organisation in Zhytomyr, Avenir, continues its tireless work to prevent human trafficking, despite the extremely difficult conditions created by the war. Vivere continues to support this vital work.

Avenir’s team has shared the following assessment of the situation at mid-year.

In times of war, prevention work against human trafficking becomes especially important. Armed conflict dramatically increases the vulnerability of the population.

The main factors are:

1. Mass displacement
    Refugees and internally displaced people often have to leave their homes suddenly, without enough information, money or support. Traffickers exploit this insecurity.
   
   
2. Economic hardship
    Loss of work, housing and income forces people to accept questionable offers of employment or assistance, which can lead to exploitation.
   
   
3. Family separation
    Children travelling alone or separated from their parents, as well as women, elderly people and people with disabilities, face a higher risk of abuse and exploitation.
   
   
4. Criminal networks becoming more active
    In wartime, the capacity of public authorities to monitor and protect vulnerable people may weaken, creating favourable conditions for organised criminal groups.
   
   
5. Growing online risks
    Recruitment increasingly takes place through social media, messaging apps and job websites, often under the false promise of safe employment, housing or humanitarian aid.
   
   
6. Lack of awareness
    People in crisis may not know how to verify whether an employer, transport provider or aid organisation is trustworthy.
   
   

For these reasons, prevention efforts must include:

• informing people about risks and safe migration practices;
• training communities to recognise the warning signs of human trafficking;
• sharing the contact details of reliable support services;
• supporting the most vulnerable groups and communities;
• strengthening coordination between public authorities, civil society organisations and international partners.

The war in Ukraine has greatly increased the risks associated with human trafficking, both inside the country and abroad. Many people have lost their homes, jobs, loved ones and sense of stability. This makes them more vulnerable to deception and exploitation. Criminals who profit from the suffering of others are especially active in such circumstances.

Those most at risk include:

• single mothers trying to support their children;
• women who have lost their husbands and have no support;
• women fleeing domestic violence;
• internally displaced people who have lost their homes and former way of life;
• young girls and adolescents.

In wartime, human trafficking is often disguised as:

• “well-paid work” abroad without any official registration;
• promises of free housing or assistance;
• offers made through social media;
• help proposed by suspicious organisations.

People under stress, and desperately looking for a way out of a difficult situation, are more likely to trust such offers.

Support from organisations such as ours can make a real difference. This includes:

• advice on travelling safely abroad;
• psychological support;
• reliable information on employment and associated risks.

During the reporting period, as part of the “Step to Safety” project, which aims to prevent and combat human trafficking, 19 prevention activities were successfully organised. These reached a total of 350 participants in the Zhytomyr region.  

Text in image: “Young woman receiving advice at our partner’s premises” — “Poster designed by Avenir to summarise trafficking prevention.” Ukrainian poster text: “The recruiter’s task is to hand the future victim over to the buyer or intermediary.”

Support for Ukrainian Refugees in Montenegro :

From February to April 2026, food assistance was provided to 74 people — 31 adults and 43 children — from Kramatorsk, Kharkiv, Odessa, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Donetsk, Mykolaiv, Mariupol, Kyiv and Kherson.

We also support Russian refugees who oppose the Kremlin’s war.

Here are a few testimonies from those receiving assistance:

“Our whole family is currently in Bar. My father is 67 and disabled following heart surgery. My mother is 65, and my grandmother is 87. They are all retired. I am here with my two boys, aged 5 and 11. We left Kharkiv after our home was bombed. A shell fragment shattered the window. There was no electricity, no heating — we had no choice but to leave. That was on 3 March 2022. We truly need food assistance to get through this.”

“There are two of us: my mother and me. We fled the war after a bomb hit the building next to ours in Kramatorsk and caused a fire. We first moved to friends in another neighbourhood, but after just one day it became dangerous there too. We had to leave the city immediately. Thank you so much for your help. It means a great deal to us right now.”

“I have been living in Bar with my two children for three years. We left Russia because of the war. I am raising my children alone, and one of them is autistic. It is very difficult to find work, and I am currently facing serious financial difficulties. I am asking for help because I cannot manage alone.”

“We are from Kramatorsk in the Donbas. We fled the war and arrived in Bar in March 2022. Our family is made up of myself, my husband and my mother. We are all retired and do not work. We receive no support from anyone, as we have no children, brothers or sisters. Our only income is our pension, and we need many different types of medicine.”

Text in image: “ABOLITION”.