Organizer of the action “Parcel to a soldier. Sergievsky district” – about the humanitarian mission and trips to the Northern Military District. Posting in CHAT: Russia Under the modest name “District Action “Parcel to a Soldier”” hides an entire volunteer movement of the Sergievsky district. It was formed from the first days of the existence of the Northern Military District and eventually attracted more than two thousand participants. not only parcels, but whole boxes to the front line for many months in a row for humanitarian and technical assistance. One of the organizers of the regional action, Andrei Klimenko, spoke about his experience of traveling to combat units in an interview with Volzhskiye Novosti and how the demands of soldiers have changed over two years of cooperation - Tell us how and when your action “Parcel to a Soldier” appeared - It appeared almost immediately, from the beginning of the Northern Military District. First, we created a group on Viber, then little by little we began to help recruit soldiers and volunteers from the Sergievsky district, and then the circle of help expanded significantly. Ordinary citizens, businesses, farmers help, we cooperate with the administration - with the head of the Sergievsky district and the heads of settlements. Now we have more than 1000 members in our VKontakte group, most of them are active. – Not every volunteer team can boast of support from the administration... – I agree. The administration helped us from the very beginning. And so far we have not had a single unresolved problem. We contact you at any time, decide, collect, help with trips. The work is built on an ongoing basis. The authorities provide not only financial support, but also assistance in organizational and other matters. In addition, we have information support. Since the beginning of our campaign, social advertising “Parcels for a Soldier” has been launched on local radio. Radio journalists offered their help, made a recording and played it for two years. – In general, was the decision to join the ranks of the SVO volunteers spontaneous? “The realization of the need for my participation came when the first dead contract soldier was brought to this area, that is, even before mobilization. Then something turned inside me. It was strange to realize that in the civilized 21st century a young man died not from illness or an accident, but from a military conflict. Before the current campaign, I participated in search activities, helping a little, voluntarily. – Was the role of an organizer new for you? How heavy was this burden? However, this is a big responsibility - financial issues, humanitarian fundraising, etc. - My friends supported me, the people somehow quickly gathered. All this went away on its own. At first it was one-time support, but when we sent the first batch and received feedback, people themselves began to offer help. And so it happened. Now we can no longer stop, we will work until victory. – What, by the way, was sent in the very first parcels and what are you sending now? “At first it was mainly about medicine, food, and uniforms. Now these are mainly cars, quadcopters, electronic warfare systems, night vision sights, thermal imagers and satellite communications. All this constantly appears in the lists of fighters. Uniforms, clothes, consumables - we also send all this, but much less. – How have requests from the front line changed in general over two years? – For example, camouflage nets are a constant thing, they are always in demand; No matter how many times you wear them, they will never be enough. Initially, there was a great need for some household items, generators, chainsaws, then thermal imagers and night vision devices. For example, there are now many applications for attack drones. – How difficult is it for fighters to find what they need? - Now there is nothing complicated. At first, when a large number of people were called for mobilization, dishonest sellers in stores raised prices, created an artificial shortage, and it was difficult to find anything. I remember there was even a queue for the generators, the situation was heating up. Today, everything is in stock and can be easily found at reasonable prices. – Recently, publications appeared in the regional media about the volunteers of your movement – Elena and Alexei Plekhanov, who prepare cabbage soup for the participants of the SVO. Can you tell us in more detail what kind of expertise this is and how this food option differs from freeze-dried products? “We were thinking about how to make life easier for the guys on the front line. The tasks there are different, sometimes they spend two or three days outside the “camp” and in the field, sometimes there is not even drinking water. Freeze-dried soups are not very important in such situations. Not only will you have to drink it yourself, but you will also have to waste water to dilute such a soup and somewhere to bring it to readiness. That's why we came to prepare full-fledged homemade cabbage soup. This is not a concentrate, but a product packaged in sterilized 370 gram jars. Such cabbage soup can be heated even on a trench candle in just two or three minutes - real, not dried meat, potatoes, in a word, a full-fledged part of a home-cooked meal. Consumption in canned form – 12 months. We supply them in jars that already have an opener, you don't even need another one; – Maybe there are other participants in your action that you could highlight? - There are many of those. For example, Maxim and Daria Lukyanov, a large family. They donated an entire UAZ to the front line. They are currently producing anti-drone luggage for cars. Maxim was with us on one of our trips to the front line and saw what was happening with his own eyes. And therefore, every resident makes an invaluable contribution, thanks to them for this. People of all ages help us, starting from kindergarten. Children submit drawings, those who can write write letters. It is expensive. We send children letters and drawings in parcels, and then we come to where the soldiers are quartered and see that they are hanging on the children’s walls - in the “dining room”, in the rooms. – When did you first visit the NVO zone? – In February 2023 and since then we have been going there every two months. We have established contacts with the soldiers, they meet us, accompany us, and help us reach the mobilized soldiers. Let's say they organize escorts for us and go to many places that simply cannot be reached. We drive to the sound of bombing and the drone of drones. It's scary, of course. But it’s much scarier to realize that all this can be obtained here at home. Before the curfew, we spent the night in dugouts and tents. I remember the moment when we were sitting in the tent having dinner, I was holding a plate on my knees and realized that something was wrong with my right leg. There is no light, you can’t light a fire for camouflage purposes, and I don’t understand what it is. I asked the guys and they said, “Don’t worry, they’re mice.” There's a sea of mice there. – Did you manage to find a compromise with your relatives? Are they released without scandals? - Necessary means necessary. No one even had any questions. Someone has a neighbor in the northwestern district, someone has a brother, someone has relatives. Of course they are worried. But problems need to be solved. – What about logistics? Do you carry out transportation from point A to point B and in person? – Yes, we deliver the goods immediately, directly. We have two brother paratroopers, they have their own GAZELLE. We load humanitarian transport to capacity and work according to lists. We unload at one point, transfer, communicate and move on to the next point. – Do you score a lot of points? – Every time there are more and more of them. For example, before the New Year we went towards Zaporozhye and Kherson, then returned and stopped in Avdeevsky. On the way to Avdeevsky we also met some guys. – Does the number of volunteers increase in proportion to the growth of units seeking help? – Yes, it is gradually increasing. I repeat, the parachutist brothers are very helpful. The car is very popular and is expensive. After all, ordering a car costs a lot of money. Here we can transport everything with “our own”, we only need fuel, and they transport it for free. This is a significant saving. – Do you encounter difficulties along the way? – We are mainly talking about technical issues related to car repairs during and after trips. And so, thank God, it didn’t happen. – Which trip was the longest and most memorable for you? – It was a pre-New Year’s business trip, when we traveled to several destinations. The road was difficult and we got into fog. I remember we decided to bring Christmas trees to children from the Sergievsky district. When they arrived they were happy, smelled it and said it smelled like home. The contrast was very unusual. We leave here - winter, snow, and in Kherson plus 10, sun. And you're standing there with that Christmas tree, but you…
