With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, Archpriest Mikhail Potokin, Chairman of the Synodal Department for Church Charity and Social Service, and Deacon Igor Kulikov, Director of the Patriarchal Humanitarian Mission, made another working trip to Donbass from August 21 to 25, 2026.
They were accompanied on the trip by Dmitry Tagil, Head of the Humanitarian Aid Department of the Patriarchal Humanitarian Mission, and Natalia Letavina, Head of the Development Department of the Patriarchal Humanitarian Mission.
On August 22, the delegation visited the assistance center of the Patriarchal Humanitarian Mission in Mariupol. During the visit, a meeting was held with volunteers and staff of the center. Archpriest Mikhail Potokin got acquainted with the current work of the assistance center and the existing difficulties. Father Mikhail also presented awards from the Synodal Department of Charity to several Mission staff who have been working in Mariupol for several years.
The assistance center in Mariupol has been operating since 2023. During this time, 47,600 requests for help from residents of the city were received there. Volunteer builders of the Patriarchal Humanitarian Mission have restored 470 private houses and apartments in Mariupol.
In addition to the assistance center, Archpriest Mikhail Potokin and Deacon Igor Kulikov visited the volunteer dormitory and got acquainted with the renovation of additional facilities for the development of the ministry of the Patriarchal Humanitarian Mission.
Also on this day, a meeting was held with the dean of the Mykolaiv district of Mariupol, Archpriest Alexy Zinoviev.
Then the delegation went to Gorlovka, where in the evening a meeting was held with Metropolitan Mitrofan of Gorlovka and Slavyansk. The meeting was also attended by Archimandrite Agafodor (Polyakov), head of the youth department responsible for volunteer, hospital and hospital services of the Gorlovka Diocese, and Archpriest Dimitri Abrosimov, head of the social department of the Gorlovka Diocese.
On August 23, Archpriest Mikhail Potokin concelebrated with Metropolitan Mitrofan at the Liturgy in the Church of St. John of Kronstadt. On this day, the church prayed for the parishioners who died there from shelling in 2014.
On this day, Deacon Igor Kulikov, Director of the Patriarchal Humanitarian Mission, concelebrated with Archimandrite Agathodor (Polyakov), head of the youth department of the Gorlovka Diocese, at the Epiphany Cathedral in Gorlovka. After the Liturgy, they had a meeting with the staff and volunteers of the Patriarchal Humanitarian Mission, who were on shift in Gorlovka at that moment.
On the same day, the delegation arrived in Donetsk, where they met with Archpriest Alexy Bystrov, head of the Social Department of the Donetsk Diocese. The participants of the meeting visited storage facilities and two buildings transferred to the diocese for the needs of church social service.
On August 24, Chairman of the Synodal Department for Charity and Director of the Patriarchal Humanitarian Mission met with Chairman of the Government of the Donetsk People's Republic Andrey Chertkov in Donetsk.
The meeting was also attended by Archpriest Alexy Bystrov, Chairman of the Social Department of the Donetsk Diocese, Sergei Samokhin, head of the Donetsk branch of the Popular Front, and employees of the Patriarchal Humanitarian Mission and the DPR Government office.
During the meeting, the parties discussed a joint project of the Patriarchal Humanitarian Mission, the Popular Front and the Government of the DPR to support the needy residents of the DPR during the heating season.
The Patriarchal Humanitarian Mission was established by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church with the aim of coordinating and systematically developing assistance to civilians in the Donetsk People's Republic, Luhansk People's Republic, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions, as well as providing assistance to the wounded.
There are 12 Patriarchal Humanitarian Mission assistance centers in the border areas, Moscow and the conflict zone, where over 415,000 requests have been processed. More than 4,400 tons of humanitarian aid have been transferred to the victims. More than 8,000 volunteers participated in helping the victims. More than 830 private homes have been restored as part of the project to restore private housing for those in need in the conflict zone. Volunteer priests travel in shifts to 45 hospitals in the conflict zone. Together with the Synodal Department for Charity, a service is working to help veterans of the SVR and their loved ones.