An impressive aid delivery to Kharkiv took place in August 2024, supported by the Order of St. George, which was initiated and organised by SECI (Southeast European Cooperative Initiative). Our Grand Master Archduke Karl, his wife Christian and the Justitiar of the Order Mgr. Michael Heres accompanied the delivery of 126 generators for hospitals, maternity clinics, orphanages, kindergartens, schools and social institutions as well as 150 computers and laptops for subway station schools in the city, which are suffering from the brutal Russian war of aggression.
Treasurer Dr. Michael Fazekas in his function as Executive Coordinator of SECI commented on this urgently needed humanitarian aid as follows: „Ukraine is fighting a war against a brutal aggressor, that has invaded the Ukraine and is murdering ten thousands of civilians, raping women, and children, destroying the country’s critical infrastructure and terrorizing the people of Ukraine since 2014. Es ist nicht nur unsere Pflicht, sondern es ist für uns eine Ehre, die Ukraine und ihre Bürger in ihrem Kampf zu unterstützen. Wir werden dem ukrainischen Volk so lange wie nötig beistehen, da es durch diesen unprovozierten Krieg mit Verwüstung und Zerstörung konfrontiert ist. Slava Ukraini!“
During their stay the delegation took the opportunity to meet numerous important personalities on site to exchange opinions and information. They also visited various important facilities, such as the Municipal Clinical Multidisciplinary Hospital No. 17 or the kindergarten “Arbuz” in order to get a more accurate picture of the current situation in the long-suffering city and other urgent needs for the population. Justitiar Michael Heres summarised his impressions of this humanitarian mission as follows: “The importance and relevance of this mission was especially demonstrated by the reception of the delegation at the highest regional level by the Governor of Kharkiv Region Oleh Synyehubov and the Mayor of Kharkiv Oleg Terekhov, who expressed gratitude in particular for the generators we delivered, which play a key role in preparing the city for the coming winter.
The key task of the city authorities is to prepare for the heating season, including the distribution of heat, power and water supply systems, as well as the construction of underground schools. The mayor also acknowledged the humanitarian support to the city by awarding the delegation with the “Hero City of Ukraine” commemorative medal. This title was given to the city by the President of Ukraine for the brave resistance of the city’s citizens in the year 2022. A two-day visit to the frontline city took the delegation to schools and kindergartens, a hospital, a water and dairy manufacturer, as well as to the historical museum of the Kharkiv region.
The meeting with the museum director Olga Soshnikova was a true demonstration of the protection of cultural heritage in a war zone. On this occasion, the Grand Master said that “Russia’s war on Ukraine is a war for identity. Ukrainian soldiers defending the integrity and territory of Ukraine. Director Soshnikova and her team protect Ukrainian cultural identity and historical heritage. One fight without the other would be pointless.”
The aid to the city of Kharkiv with the active participation of our Grandmaster and support from the Order of St. George is a confirmation and emphasis of the values on which our Order stands and which have been long defended. It is the fulfilment of every speech of our Grandmaster. It is deeply rooted in our beliefs as Knights of St. George that it is our primary duty to help those in need. In this case, the people of Kharkiv.
Support for Ukraine remains a focus of the Order. The words of the Grand Master that the defence of Ukraine is the defence of Europe itself still apply.”
The entire Order is proud to have been part of this mission and to have helped provide much-needed assistance to victims of this terrible war!
Photocredit: Dmitriy Vereschynskyi