Standing at the very front lines of the Russian/Ukrainian war, the villages of Kostyantynivka, Torske, and Zarichne live under constant threat of military aggression. As the Vadym Novynskyi Foundation sadly puts it, “Local residents have not paid any attention to the constant cannonade of artillery for a long time.” And to make matters even worse, these villages have received precious little humanitarian aid to date. Simply put, volunteers are rather reluctant to travel in this part of Donbas due to its terrible road conditions, as well as the threat of ongoing military activity.
The Vadym Novynskyi Foundation operates effectively in the area with the help of the brothers of the Kyiv Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and its department of social service and charity. Billionaire businessman Novynskyi has secured an extremely productive and lasting partnership with the department’s chief administrators, Archpriest Andriy Dvorovi and his brother Kostyantyn.
After receiving its latest bulk shipment from the Vadym Novynskyi Foundation, the UOC’s department of social service and charity were able to distribute 1.5 tons of nonperishable food items, warm blankets, and clean clothes to the village residents of Kostyantynivka, Torske, and Zarichne. The needy recipients of these emergency relief supplies were local residents who the foundation describes as “war-weary” and “impoverished.” Videos of grateful people receiving this essential aid have been widely viewed on YouTube.
Vadym Novynskyi’s Years of Philanthropy
Vadym Novynskyi’s private charitable organization, the Vadym Novynskyi Foundation, is a nonprofit arm of his business concern, the Smart Holding Group. Since 2005, this nonprofit has been spearheading charitable activities in Ukraine that support the county’s citizens and preserve its cultural heritage. The good works of the Vadym Novynskyi Foundation span areas that range from urgent health care provision to historical landmark restoration.
Novynskyi has a deep love for his adopted home. Born in 1963 in the Russian region of Novgorod oblast, Novynskyi first came to Ukraine in 1996 as a senior administrator with the leading Russian petroleum conglomerate Lukoil. After amassing a considerable portfolio of Ukrainian metallurgy companies, he partnered with fellow metallurgical entrepreneur Andrei Klyamko to establish the Smart Holding Group. His work with this large Ukrainian investment corporation has made him one of the 2000 wealthiest people in the world, according to Forbes magazine.
After living in Ukraine for years as a foreign national, Novynskyi became an official Ukrainian citizen in 2012. Novynskyi particularly relishes his ability to aid Ukrainians unilaterally and immediately through the Vadym Novynskyi Foundation.
Over the years, his foundation has maintained a specific philanthropic focus on the historical, cultural, and economic region of Donbas in eastern Ukraine. Its work in this region intensified significantly in the wake of the Russian military invasion of 2022.
In fact, since the initial Russian attack on Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, the Vadym Novynskyi Foundation has delivered more than 80,000 food kits to aid local Ukrainian populations in Donbas and other war-torn areas. Beyond feeding people in urgent need, the foundation has donated a wealth of critical supplies, including ambulances and fuel, to help citizens evacuate Ukraine’s most dangerous areas.
