Vadym Novynskyi’s Charitable Foundation Provided 30,000 Aid Packages
Ukrainian business mogul Vadym Novynskyi is helping victims of the Russia-Ukraine war. Through his charitable organization, The Vadym Novynskyi Foundation, he’s partnered with Nova Poshta, a private Ukrainian postal and courier company, to deliver 30,000 aid packages across the country.
“Among the recipients of humanitarian aid are families with children, lonely old people, and people with disabilities,” reads a statement on Novynskyi’s website. “The priority is to help residents of regions where active hostilities are taking place or frequent shelling occurs: Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kherson regions. We understand that as a result of this, it is difficult for the people who live there to get the most necessary things, in particular food, so the foundation focuses on providing long-term storage products — cereals, sugar, flour, canned meat, and vegetables.”
The Vadym Novynskyi Foundation
The Vadym Novynskyi Foundation is the charitable arm of the Smart Holding Group — one of the largest investment groups in Ukraine, owned since 2006 by Vadym Novynskyi and his business partner Andrei Klyamko. Before the Russian invasion, the company focused on the most essential sectors of the national economy, including real estate, metals, mining, oil and gas, shipbuilding, and agriculture. Of these industries, Smart Holding Group’s most significant investment is in Metinvest, a leading producer of iron ore.
Novynskyi is giving back to the community that embraced him — born in Russia, he was granted Ukrainian citizenship in 2012. About his charity, he says, “People’s grief knows no borders, no language, and no other differences. It concerns everyone. And we ought to help all Ukrainians — both in Kherson and in Chernivtsi, as well as in the temporarily uncontrolled territories.”
Humanitarian Aid
The Vadym Novynskyi Foundation allocates about 250 million hryvnias (approximately $6.76 million USD) annually to humanitarian and community aid focused on medical, social and faith-based initiatives. Since the illegal Russian invasion in February of this year, the Ukrainian people have been faced with unprecedented hardships — violent attacks, the destruction of urban infrastructure, a lack of basic supplies, and a highly unsafe climate restricting day-to-day activities. Given its unique positioning and resources, the Vadym Novynskyi Foundation has focused all humanitarian aid on the more immediate needs of internally displaced persons within the country, including water, nonperishable foods, hygiene supplies, and shelter.
Recipients of Humanitarian Packages
How does the Vadym Novynskyi Foundation decide whom to distribute aid packages to? Partnered with Nova Poshta, the foundation uses an application system, accepting requests directly from individuals and families. Applications are received from ordinary citizens in need, including families, the elderly, and disabled persons. This helps to ensure that aid goes to those who truly need it, without excess or waste. The website adds, “But now the foundation is studying additional opportunities for humanitarian missions and delivering goods to regions where courier and postal services do not operate.”
Obtaining basic food supplies has been one of the greatest challenges for Ukrainian people caught in the midst of the conflict. The Vadym Novynskyi Foundation has focused on providing nonperishable food products that can sustain long-term storage.
The foundation sometimes delivers aid packages directly through community institutions like the Orthodox Church. For example, it recently worked with the Holy Dormition Church in the Darnytsia District of Kyiv to allocate 150 packages.
Past Humanitarian Projects
Vadym Novynskyi’s Smart Holding Group has a major share investment in iron ore producer Metinvest, through which many other humanitarian initiatives are started. Last month, a Metinvest press release announced a partnership with the Kryvyi Rih military administration to provide 10 million hryvnias for food products to feed civilians forced from their homes.
“In close cooperation with the head of the military administration of Kryvyi Rih, Metinvest of Rinat Akhmetov and Vadym Novynskyi continues to help with the arrangement of places for temporary resettlement of internally displaced Ukrainians,” reads an online statement. “The next aid is 10 million hryvnias for the purchase of food products and other necessities for people who were forced to leave their homes due to the war.”
Last month, according to official statements from Novynskyi, the foundation purchased several ambulances directly from the European Union to deliver to hospitals in Kryvyi Rih and the Regional Center for Emergency Care and Disaster Medicine in Zaporizhzhia. In addition, another 10 ambulances have now been delivered on behalf of the foundation directly to Kharkiv, the nation’s second-largest city.
Novynskyi has also worked to help restore the economy, repair churches, and rebuild damaged infrastructure. The foundation has supported the National Police and Armed Forces of Ukraine with 100,000 armored vests, over 1,000 thermal imagers, more than 25,000 first-aid kits, and more than 8,000 helmets to protect people in battle zones.
The aid packages have been essential for the survival of many internally displaced people around the country. Since February, about 7 million people have lost their homes. The Vadym Novynskyi Foundation knows there is more humanitarian work to do.
“The mission of the Vadym Novynskyi Foundation is to broaden the territory of the good and make the life of our society healthier and better. A big burden is not so heavy when propped up by hundreds of shoulders.
“We firmly believe that there are many people capable of doing good things. Relying on our own experience and using modern technologies, we create a strong and sustainable system of mutual assistance when kind-hearted people can help their neighbors for the common benefit, and can implement socially significant projects, doing it efficiently and to the best of their powers and resources.”