Stronger Together: How Intellect of Sumy Region Rebuilt After Losing Its Office in a Russian Drone Attack

On 18 August 2025, a Russian drone attack severely damaged the academic and research building of Sumy State University. For more than a decade, the building had housed the office of the NGO Centre for Civic Initiatives “Intellect of Sumy Region”.

The fire and water used to extinguish it damaged offices, training rooms, documents, books and equipment that the organisation had accumulated over many years. But the team did not lose the most important thing: each other.

This is the story of how Intellect of Sumy Region began rebuilding after losing its office.

The First Emotions — and the Strength of Staying Together

Andriana Kostenko, Deputy Chair of the organisation’s Board, recalls that the first moments after hearing the news were overwhelming.: «It is difficult to realise that the place where you worked for years is simply gone. All those memories, the whole history, seem to be cut short. But moments like this show you most clearly who is by your side. We cried for 20 minutes and allowed ourselves to grieve, because we needed to. Then we decided: we have to pull ourselves together and move forward».

“We realised that we were losing more than equipment and furniture,” says Kristina Sakhno, a member of the organisation. “We were losing something much bigger — a place that had been our anchor. It was a space where different people and communities could meet and where anyone could come for support.”

Despite the pain and losses, the most valuable thing remained: the team.

Within days, it became clear that Intellect of Sumy Region would not stop its work. It would simply have to change its address.

The team came together the very next day. They went to the damaged building, assessed the losses, worked out what could still be saved and accepted that some things would have to be left behind.

“We realised just how strong our team is. Everyone was ready to take responsibility, act quickly and work together,” Andriana says.

What They Managed to Save

Despite the scale of the destruction, some things could be rescued. The team managed to remove part of the furniture, equipment and tablets used for analytical research and surveys.

At the same time, a large amount of documentation, books, methodological materials and resources accumulated over the years was lost.

“The hardest part is seeing that some things you poured your heart into cannot be restored,” Kristina says. “But we decided to save even the smallest things — for example, the flowers that survived. For us, they are also a symbol of our history.”

Support from the University and Partners

One of the first institutions to offer help was, naturally, Sumy State University, which provided the organisation with another space to work from.

The new room is small and still needs to be fully equipped, but it has become a new starting point for Intellect of Sumy Region.

“The university has a long history of cooperation with us. And although the loss of Building N was a loss for both our organisation and the university, what matters is that we are still together,” Andriana Kostenko says. “They gave us a room where we can continue working, supporting communities and implementing projects.”

Support from partners also became an important source of strength.

Through social media and personal messages, the team received dozens of messages of solidarity from international organisations, foundations and colleagues from other parts of Ukraine.

“It made us feel that we were not alone,” Kristina says. “There were people around us — our partners, colleagues and the people we work for. That motivated us to keep going.”

People Are the Greatest Value

Despite losing its office, the organisation did not suspend a single project.

In August, immediately after relocating, the team resumed its work. Psychologists, social workers and trainers continued supporting communities across Sumy region.

“Yes, we currently lack a dedicated space where psychologists can work with clients. That is one of the challenges we want to address in the near future. But even without a permanent space, we remain there for people,” Andriana says.

“Our work is not about walls and furniture. First and foremost, it is about relationships and trust.”

The new office already displays banners from partner organisations, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the International Renaissance Foundation and ACTED.

They remind the team that recovery is a shared process — one in which every contribution matters.

Representatives of the Centre for Civic Initiatives “Intellect of Sumy Region” at a coordination meeting for grantees of the Impulse Project.

An Experience That Changes You

For the team, this experience has been both painful and deeply meaningful. It has shown them just how important human relationships, trust and mutual support are.

“We lost our space, but we did not lose the meaning behind our work,” Kristina says. “We keep moving forward because we know there are people who believe in us and share our values. And that is our greatest strength.”

Today, Intellect of Sumy Region continues to organise activities both online and in person, bringing people together for cooperation and dialogue.

The smell of smoke still lingers in the new office. Yet the atmosphere is filled with hope. Every meeting and every conversation is another step towards rebuilding — not only the organisation, but the community around it.

This is not a story about losing a building. It is a story about finding strength again.

Intellect of Sumy Region has shown that even when a familiar space disappears, a strong team, solidarity and belief in people can make it possible to rebuild from scratch.

And after every challenge, the most important thing that remains is people.

This material was prepared by the NGO Centre for Civic Initiatives “Intellect of Sumy Region” as part of the Impulse Project, implemented by the International Renaissance Foundation and the East Europe Foundation with funding from Norway (Norad) and Sweden (Sida). The content of this material does not necessarily reflect the views of the International Renaissance Foundation, the East Europe Foundation, the Government of Norway or the Government of Sweden.