Volunteer from Kharkiv killed in attack on evacuation group in Donetsk region

A volunteer from Kharkiv, Vyacheslav Ilchenko, was killed as a result of a Russian strike on an evacuation group in Donetsk region.

This was reported on Facebook by Yevgen Koliada, head of the Coordination Humanitarian Center in Kharkiv region, Ukrinform reports.

“On December 25, volunteer and founder of the Nezlamna Foundation Vyacheslav Ilchenko was killed during an evacuation in Donbas,” the post says.

According to volunteer Nataliia Popova, Ilchenko had been involved in evacuations since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

"RIP. We are losing the best. Slava Ilchenko saved hundreds of civilians from the first days of the war. He carried out evacuations from hell and returned every day to save everyone. Today, December 25, on Christmas Day, he died during an evacuation in Donbas. This is more than pain, and more than just a loss. There are very few people like him," Popova wrote on Facebook.

Hanna Chernenko, co-coordinator of the Center for Journalistic Solidarity in Kharkiv and TV correspondent, recounted how she had recently seen the volunteer.

“Just a few days ago, I saw him on the steps of the evacuation center... tired, but smiling in his own way, as always... I decided not to distract him because his team had just brought someone back from hell, I didn't even say hello... it's such a great loss,” the journalist wrote.

Oksana Dudnik, head of the organizational, information support, and public relations sector of the Borova community, expressed her condolences and emphasized the importance of evacuating in time so that other people would not die.

"He evacuated dozens of families from my native community under fire. Thousands of people from the active combat zone in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions owe their salvation directly to him. And today he was going to Kostiantynivka to rescue a wounded grandfather. He didn't make it... May his memory live on! Of course, the killers are to blame. But... All civilians who remain in the combat zone and refuse to evacuate despite the escalating situation, please understand that you are not only putting yourselves in danger, you are also putting the people who will then have to rescue you in danger!" Dudnyk said.

According to Yevhen Koliada, the deceased is survived by his wife and two daughters. A fundraiser has been announced to support them.

As reported, a Russian drone struck an evacuation mission in Kostiantynivka, Donetsk region, killing one civilian and injuring two others.