Borscht Festival in Poland: Ukrainians Donated Over Two Million Hryvnias

The Borscht Festivals in Poland raised a total of 2,097,390 hryvnias. Events were held in nine Polish cities, attracting over 15,000 Ukrainians, for whom 2,200 litres of borscht were cooked. The highest amount of donations was collected in Warsaw — 575,000 hryvnias in a single day.

The festival series ran from April to June 2023 and was organised by the Polish Gremi Personal Foundation. It became the largest event by the number of Ukrainian participants in Poland.

"Fundraising is an important part of our festival. But unexpectedly for us, our events have become the main gathering place for Ukrainians in Poland. We discovered a recipe for unity. People come to talk, to share news. And we see how important it is for them to make any possible contribution to Victory — whether it's a donation or volunteer work" — says Yevhen Kyrychenko, founder of the Gremi Personal Foundation.

The lion's share of the funds collected went towards purchasing vital tactical medical supplies. But that is not the only area of assistance. The most recent Borscht Festival made it possible to buy two Mavic drones worth 90,000 hryvnias each, which are supporting our soldiers during the counteroffensive in the Zaporizhzhia direction.

Donations collected in Warsaw were directed towards addressing the damage in the Kherson region — helping elderly people, large families and other residents of the city of Kherson to restore their damaged homes.

"The water has receded, but flooded basements and cellars remain. The layer of silt is causing a great deal of trouble, and removing it is no simple task. In some places rubble has to be cleared, in others walls have to be rebuilt. On top of that, the heavy machinery of the State Emergency Service cannot reach all affected areas. A mini tractor, trailers, pressure washers, conveyors and other equipment — that is just part of what Ukrainians donated for in Warsaw" — adds Svitlana Khachatryan, Projects Manager at the Foundation.

The Borscht Festivals in Poland are an ongoing initiative and will continue until full victory is achieved. Ukrainians have already gathered in Warsaw, Gdańsk, Poznań, Katowice, Słupsk, Bydgoszcz, Mława, Dąbrowa Górnicza — with Łódź, Kraków and Gdańsk (again) next in line.

"The Borscht Festival is direct proof that despite the war, public events are essential — they not only unite Ukrainians but also bring real benefit to our fight against the occupiers" — Yevhen Kyrychenko firmly believes.

The Foundation also notes that during the festivals, the greatest attention is drawn to the exhibits from the Museum of War Trophies in Gdańsk. Fragments of destroyed Russian military equipment sent to the museum by Ukrainian soldiers also serve as a photo zone. In exchange for a donation, participants can take a photo with a piece of the Russian Ka-52 attack helicopter, a fragment of the "Malysh" night sight, a tube from the Shmel reactive infantry flamethrower, and other trophies.

Background: The Gremi Personal Foundation is a project of Gremi Personal, a company specialising in the employment of Ukrainians in Poland. The company was founded by Ukrainian Yevhen Kyrychenko. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine prompted the creation of the foundation, whose primary goal is to meet the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Since 24 February 2022, more than 40 million hryvnias have been transferred for the defence of Ukraine.