Operational information about military action from the regions of the “Active Community” network 

(26.02.2022)

About the NGO: 

The “Active Community” Initiative, started by NGO Institute “Respublika” activists after Euromaidan, which focused on activating and involving at least 1% of Ukrainians in the decision-making process as IR systematically promotes reforms nationwide which promote community development. The mission of the "Active Community": to achieve prosperity through the democratic development of communities in Ukraine. The goal for 2025: to activate and involve at least 1% of citizens in decision-making and promotion of reforms in Ukraine on a systemic basis for the well-being of Ukrainian communities. We work in 30 cities of Ukraine.

Brief report about the situation:

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced the following information in the morning. The estimated losses of the enemy are the following: aircraft - 14 units, helicopters - 8 units, tanks - 102 units, BBM - 536 units, guns - 15 units, anti-aircraft missile system BUK-1 unit. More than 3,500 Russian occupiers were killed and nearly 200 surrendered.

The enemy has begun redeploying reserve units in the border areas with Ukraine and continues to strike at airfields, groups of troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in eastern Ukraine, and in the northern part of the Kyiv region. Single airstrikes were carried out in the cities of Sumy, Poltava, and Mariupol. From the Black Sea, the enemy launched Caliber naval-based cruise missiles across Ukraine.

The enemy repeatedly used operational and tactical aircraft in Odesa and Kyiv regions. Fighting continues in Kharkiv, Chernihiv, and Kherson regions.

The Armed Forces call on all citizens of Ukraine to seal, erase, and cover any marks of the occupiers to fire shots from the sky. Often these labels are with phosphorus, so they need to be destroyed. 

Most Ukrainians are actively involved in countering Russian aggression: replenishing the ranks of the Armed Forces, territorial defense in all cities (people even organize mini-groups to patrol at night near houses), catching saboteurs, volunteering, conducting information campaigns in the country and abroad, send funds to the military, medics, preparing food for the Ukrainian military, buying the necessary military equipment, arranging hacker attacks on Russian sites, signing petitions in defense of the country to influence the presidents of other EU and NATO countries.

 

Northern regions

Kyiv region.

The military and police enforcement in Kyiv are neutralizing sabotage groups, said Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko. In the morning the Russian saboteurs tried to attack the military unit of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near the Brest Bridge. The attack was repulsed, but the bridge was damaged. The enemy missile was also aimed at the civilian high-rise building.

Other bridges in the city were taken under protection and special control: military equipment and soldiers of the Armed Forces are there. In the afternoon of February 26, 2022, the authorities, the armed forces, and the territorial defense reported that citizens should not move across the bridges. If Russian planes were seen over bridges or other objects, they would be shot down. There are checkpoints all over the city of Kyiv.

The Territorial Defense Brigade of Kyiv is fully staffed: the issue of creating additional units will be resolved as soon as possible.

Active fighting took place in the Kyiv region near Irpen and Vasylkiv. Near Irpin, people have been in bomb shelters almost constantly for 2 days now, being constantly in danger of death. All bridges around Irpin have been destroyed, there are checkpoints on all roads. Locals say that they have seen occupiers who look like Chechens. Near these cities, within a radius of 10-20 km, residents of other cities report that shots and explosions were heard all morning on February 26.

Chernihiv

The battles for Chernihiv continued. As a result of the shelling (particularly from “Grad”), there were fires in residential buildings, a kindergarten, and a gas station. The Armed Forces returned to their positions: they bombed the crew of 2 tanks and captured 2 occupants. Also near Chernihiv, our military seized several tanks. The sirens were heard in Chernihiv and Nizhyn. Locals organize a territorial defense, prepare cocktails.

Sumy

Fighting in the streets of Sumy: Armed Forces defeated the enemy convoy. 

Okhtyrka: artillery volley fire shelling in residential areas and military units. 

Trostianets: enemy snipers. Russian aircraft are scattering children's toys, mobile phones, and valuables filled with explosives. Russia holds 18 customs officers captive. Sirens are often used in Sumy, Shostka, Lebedyna, Okhtyrka. About 70 were wounded. A little girl who was seriously injured on February 25th, during the shelling of the “Sonechko” kindergarten in Okhtyrka, has died. Internet and mobile communications are worse closer to the Russian border.

East regions

Kharkiv

Kharkiv: powerful explosions in different parts of the city. Saboteurs were caught near the Air Force University. The enemy fired at a bus with civilians on the section of the Izium-Kharkiv highway. The shelling took place in Balaklia: a child and a man were injured. Shelling near Volokhov Yar: 14 wounded, 1 killed. As of February 26, 2022, 13 people died and 103 were injured in the Kharkiv region.

Donetsk

Kramatorsk

Today the coordinator of the “Active Community” with other active residents visited the shelters. They have prepared a series of videos with information on where to stay during the day or spend the night during a potential airstrike. The siren periodically sounds in the city. However, the city is generally calm.

Luhansk

The shelling of Lysychansk and Stanytsia Luhanska continues. Enemy troops captured Markivka. The military of the Ukrainian Armed Forces repulsed the attack on Severodonetsk, blew up the bridge, and lined up a tank near Smolyaninove. Territorial defense is organized only in Lysychansk. Local authorities report curfews and warn of shelling, preparing reports on the area. People are mostly at home. Looting is taking place, but locals are organizing, catching, and handing over looters to the police. There is well-established communication between local authorities and citizens. The Ukrainian Armed Forces successfully confront the enemy troops.

South (regions)

Zaporizhzhia 

In Zaporizhzhia from 20:10 on 25.02.22 an air alarm has been announced, which lasted until 9:35 on February 26.02.22. Another air alarm lasted from 11:07 to 15:06. An enemy helicopter has been shot down near Verkhnyaya Khortytsia.

People are mostly at home and in shelters. Volunteers collect the necessary things, medicines for the military and hospitals. The following comments can be heard about each other among the city inhabitants: "I am proud of the Zaporizhzhia people, probably for the first time in my life... having spent the whole day being busy, on the streets, on public transport, in shops, shelters, I have heard not a word of solidarity or pity to the enemy, EVERYWHERE they are ready to choke them with their bare hands.”

The Mayor of Melitopol Ivan Fedorov said that the administrative buildings have been seized by the occupiers. The movement of a column with Russian enginery towards Melitopol was recorded. The city has houses destroyed by shelling. People are being evacuated.

In Energodar, the mayor said that the situation is difficult. There is more than 100 units of enemy enginery near the city. In the city of Primorsk and settlements of the community the enemy equipment of the Russian Federation has been spotted moving. In the morning, a large column of the occupiers' vehicles passed through the territory of the Terpiniv community in the direction of Molochansk. There is a partial lack of electricity and communications in the community, and the aggressor has moved towards Tokmak. It is currently known about 38 wounded and one deceased person in the region.

In Zaporizhia, Energodar and other large cities of the region, serious military and civilian work is currently underway to detect enemy labels. In Energodar, all utilities are working, electricity and water supply is available. The nuclear power plant and thermal power plant operate normally.

In the city of Tokmak, a gas pipeline was damaged in two sections. Due to artillery shelling and air strikes, there is no power supply in the cities of Huliaipole, Kamyanka, Tokmak, Molochansk, the urban village Rozivka and almost the entire Melitopol district. There is no light and water in a part of Berdyansk city.

Odesa

The territorial defense is actively uniting in Odesa, business meets their needs. The occupiers are trying to enter the city from the air. The air defense is working. The mayor assures that the city is reliably protected. There is no panic among the civillians. Volunteers inspect basements and bomb shelters. A lot of the basements are closed. The City Hall has responded and set up a hotline to report such cases. Also business is being asked to open the basements, and the developers to open parking lots.

About 17:00 on 26th of February two explosions in the central part of the city could be heard. It was the result of successful work of The Air Defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. An enemy aircraft has been shot down by the Ukrainian military on the outskirts of Odesa.

Yuzhne. A hostile plane was shot down over the sea near the city. Around 2 am, a shooting took place near the village of Kobleve; the bridge between Odesa and Mykolaiv is partially destroyed. The air-raid warning went off. Territorial Defense Forces operate in the city. The mayor gets in touch with the citizens every day, assuring that the city's infrastructure work, pharmacies work, and supermarkets are more or less supplied with food.

Kherson Oblast

Battles were actively fought in Antonivka near Kherson. The city was severely damaged. In particular, the house of the former coordinator of the Active Community was destroyed. At the moment, people are being evacuated to other safer communities. The situation near Skadovsk is calm. Local citizens have organized a night patrol, being on duty in the city council.

Center

Vinnytsia Oblast

Zhmerynka. The military registration and enlistment office accept everyone who wants to join the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Representatives of the local Territorial Defense Forces agitated the citizens to join them. Representatives of local authorities reminded the rules of behavior and warned them to stock up on water. The situation in the city is tense, but it is under control. Unfortunately, not everyone understands the seriousness of the situation as many do not take cover even after the air-raid warning goes off. However, there are enough conscious people. The main fear is an attack on the station (railway junction and strategic object). Volunteers and activists work in the city. The newly-created groups prepare food for the Territorial Defense Forces, collect food, hygiene products, weave camouflage nets, and donate blood.

Kirovohrad Oblast

We have information about the landing of enemy troops on the territory of the Dmytriv community (near the town of Znamyanka). The military planes of the Armed Forces of Ukraine flew to the combat mission from time to time.

Kropyvnytskyi Territorial Defense Forces are patrolling the streets along with the police. They are looking for people who made "signs – orientation marks" for the enemy, as well as inspecting the roofs of high buildings.

Local authorities say the situation is under control, but report possible sabotage groups and air strikes. There is no panic among the people, they do not take too much in the shops, they move calmly on the streets. They discuss the news from official sources. Anatoliy Stoyan, regional coordinator of the Active Community, went live, where he told what people are saying: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1821128648147105/posts/3275198936073395/

In summary, there is no panic in Kropyvnytskyi.

NGO "Borets" opened its headquarters to help migrants and defenders of Ukraine. We have a sports base and a network of gyms in Kropyvnytskyi, where we can accommodate everyone in need. Starting from February 24 we provide hot food.

Volunteers appeal to entrepreneurs and restaurateurs of Kropyvnytskyi to help with the organization of food for our soldiers-defenders.

Poltava Oblast

According to Oleksandr Mamai’s Facebook post, Poltava Territorial Defence Forces shot down 4 drones over the city (https://www.facebook.com/Mamay.O.F/posts/491295722362526). 

The situation in the city is stable and under control, residents are arranging places in the basements of houses, checking orientation marks in the city, donating blood, bringing necessary things to the hospital. JSC “Poltavaoblenergo”, “Poltavavodokanal”, “Poltavateploenergo” work in regular mode.

West (region)

Ivano-Frankivsk. The territorial defense of Ivano-Frankivsk walks around the streets, looking for saboteurs. A large number of internally IDPs come to the city. Local authorities are urging to help the people, bring emergency supplies, and remind them to turn off the lights after 23.00.

The city has a problem with the alarm system, sirens are not heard in most parts of the city. The mayor said that along with the sirens, the churches will ring the bells. Citizens make many calls to the police about suspicious people or cars.Information about queues at hunting shops is published on social networks.

Rivne. In the city of Rivne, the air alarm sounded 4 times. Round-the-clock surveillance of the border with Belarus is carried out. According to the heads of the military administration of the Rivne region and the Rivne city council, the situation is under control.

The city has a territorial defense. Residents unite in volunteer headquarters, which are established in the People's House, in the Music and Drama Theater, and in the House of Veterans, collecting and providing humanitarian aid to the military, territorial defense, refugees. Residents are actively enrolling for blood donations.

In Zdovbytsia air alarm sounded 4 times a day, there was a threat of airstrikes. The Armed Forces oppose the air attack.

Local authorities form lists of volunteer formations in each settlement of the Zdovbytsia village territorial community. Also, they organized loudspeakers with a siren to inform residents about the danger and announce the sounds of local church bells.

Authorities are asking for information on who has the opportunity to arrange temporary accommodation for IDPs.

Residents are actively involved in collecting things to set up a help point. There are fears of sabotage on the railway, near the railway town of Zdolbuniv.

Ternopil There was an air alarm in the city. There are many volunteers to enlist in the defense. The mayor reports that the situation is stable, and everything is fine with the airport at the moment. Ternopil residents join the city patrol and become blood donors. Many youth centers have joined the aid, where the youth of Ternopil is actively helping the defense

Khmelnytsky

Kamianets-Podilskyi. The city is quiet. Volunteers continue to enroll in the territorial defense, are on duty at checkpoints. The mayor reported about the work of the operational headquarters in the morning. The IDPs are being accepted. As of today, all the hotels, hostels, and residents of the city accept people at their homes. During the curfew, people are transported in an organized manner from the station to the reception points. People are against this war and ready to help. The blood reception station is working. There was an air alarm in Khmelnytsky. In Kamianets-Polilskyi, there were warnings from the pages of deputies about the air alarm signal.

Chernivtsi

There are no active hostilities on the territory of Chernivtsi and the region. A sabotage and reconnaissance group was detained, which left marks on the roads. The population en masse joins the Armed Forces and Territorial Defense Forces. The collection of necessary things and the training of volunteers continues.

Chernivtsi region has already sheltered 2,300 IDPs, including about 600 children. Chernivtsi resident Olena Shcherbakova said: 

“Honestly, although I went to bed at 3 am, I was calmer as I brought in acquaintances and several families of complete strangers who traveled from Kharkiv, Dnipro, Kyiv for long hours in an unfamiliar direction to Chernivtsi in fear for their lives and the lives of their young children.” For the first time in two days, they were able to sleep and eat quietly. People are housed in educational and social protection institutions.

The regional headquarters of the national movement "Ukraine for Defenders" has been established, the main coordinating body at the national level, which delivers to defenders all the assistance received from foreign partners, both humanitarian and military.

Chernivtsi City Council has allocated UAH 42 million for the needs of civil defense and another UAH 85 million sent to the reserve fund.