Kochubeivka: Sustaining Life After Occupation
Pillar: Relief & Community Recovery | Mission Volume: 23 Units | Context: Regional Operation (2,200 Total)
A Village on the Edge Kochubeivka, Kherson region, stands as a testament to the brutal volatility of this war. Occupied by Russian forces from March 14 to March 28, 2022, the village was liberated early but has never truly been safe.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the local population has decreased by approximately 40%. Those who remain are predominantly the elderly and vulnerable families who cannot leave. While the occupation is over, the shelling is not. Regular artillery strikes continue to disrupt daily life, and the village’s infrastructure has collapsed.
Currently, Kochubeivka cannot meet the basic survival needs of its residents:
Commercial Collapse: Local grocery stores have been destroyed or shuttered.
Medical Void: The village pharmacy is gone, forcing residents to rely on external delivery for medicine.
Dependency: Most essentials now arrive strictly through volunteer convoys.
On June 11, 2025, Bird of Light Ukraine deployed 23 food boxes to Kochubeivka to bridge this critical gap.
These kits are designed to be more than just calories; they are a replacement for the missing local market. Each box contains heavy grains, canned goods, and sugar to ensure physical sustenance. Crucially, we also included coffee, tea, and biscuits. In a village where the stores are gone, these simple items—often impossible to procure locally—help families endure the psychological weight of isolation.
We are able to reach these "grey zone" villages thanks to the financial backing of The World Orphan Fund and Diamondback Energy. We also extend our deepest gratitude to the VPO Ukraine team, who managed the difficult logistics of delivering these heavy assets into a community that is still under the shadow of Russian artillery.
