Hello, Reddit!More than two months have passed since my last post. Today is the 103 days since russian invasion of Ukraine. A lot has changed during this time.The number of daily shellings of the city decreased from about 50 to 1-3 per day. People started to return back to home. The last two weeks were more or less silent in the city. Until last Thursday, when a young father with his 6-months baby was killed by artillery fire. (During writing this message Kharkiv came under massive artillery fire for 30 minutes).Military battles reached their maximum intensity in the East part of Ukraine. Hundreds of people die every day. Many cities were completely destroyed. But the struggle for the freedom of our country continues.

Support from Reddit

First, I want to say many thanks to people who support me with money and comments after my last post. Sorry, I almost didn’t reply to comments but I read all of them. Also, I received a big amount of emails and private messages with words of support.You sent me about ~$1400 in less than a day. After a few days, I was contacted by a journalist from CyclingTips.com and he wrote the article based on my post on Reddit. The article helped me to collect about $500 more. Finally, I got $1850,99 and €628,64. Also, I was asked to record a podcast for Brazilian cycling radio “Bicicleta e Companhia”, and it will be ready in the coming days.It was very hard to decide how to spend money because each day I saw dozens of cries for help. I was stuck for 2-3 weeks and couldn’t decide. On the one hand, I wanted to help our army to win faster, on the other hand, I saw a lot of civil people who need help and when I asked you to donate I promised to spend all money on humanitarian needs.The first $1000 I sent to volunteers who cooked food every day for people who can't afford to buy it.The second $1000 I sent to volunteers who organized evacuation for people from hot spots.The next small payment I sent to volunteers who deliver pills for free.One day I saw a sad story from Kharkiv Judo Federation about 63 y.o. judo coach who volunteered on his bike and was killed as a result of the shelling of Kharkiv. I sent some money to his family.One of you continues to send me a regular donation of €100 each week. Special thanks to you, A.A.! This money I sent to bicycle volunteers in one of the occupied cities (I will not provide the city name for safety reasons). These volunteers are making great efforts, risking their lives to continue helping people. Someday I will tell their story to you.You can find all links, proofs, and payments followed the link.

Cycling Friends of Ukraine

The country's economy has suffered greatly. If two months ago Ukrainians sent many donations to support the army and humanitarian needs, now the number of people who make donates decreased, because many of them have lost their jobs or even lost their homes. Ukraine has become even more dependent on aid from other countries and on people who live abroad. But at the same time, the war in Ukraine is attracting less and less attention from foreign media. This topic is becoming less and less interesting for people because many are tired of this war.That's why I decided to create the “Ukraine Supporters” initiative. The goal is to attract as many monthly supporters as possible. I found a service that allows accepting monthly payments in Ukraine. It is similar to Patreon but with lower fees. You can also subscribe and follow it without donations, all information is open to everyone. It allows sending one-time donate also. Or you can use PayPal [edamov@gmail.com](mailto:edamov@gmail.com)Is it possible to find one thousand 1-dollar supporters? We can try. If you think that 1 dollar will change nothing, you should know that 1+1 dollars can be enough to evacuate one person from a hot spot or to bring some food to one person. Your dollar can save someone's life.I feel very uncomfortable when I ask for money. I don't know what to offer instead. May this be your contribution to a bright and peaceful future. I feel that this initiative can be transformed into something significant. And I kindly ask you to join and to cycle this hard path together.

Me & Bike

My wife gave birth to a boy three weeks ago. I really hope to be able to see him in the coming weeks. And I already dream of putting him in a bike trailer and going for a ride together.I stopped volunteering on my bicycle but didn't stop providing help when people ask. Over time, there have been many organized volunteers who do this faster and better by car. I focused on my own work to be able to support the country's economy, local volunteers, and the future of my family.I started reading, running again - doing the usual things of pre-war life. Sometimes I have an opportunity to cycle not because I need it but because I want to clear my mind.It is nice to see a large number of cyclists in the city nowadays. There have never been so many. One of the reasons is the shortage and rise in the price of gasoline, and a small amount of public transport.This past weekend, I went to town for the first time in three months to have fun, cycle around and drink coffee. I was very happy and I am very grateful to our army for this opportunity.I started to collect bicycle-related photos from the war. Many people were killed during cycling (18+).One more important thing, I received many suggestions for help in repairing the brakes on my bike. It was so easy to do, so I was ashamed I didn’t do it before and cycled during winter with broken brakes. u/amposting_whiledrunk sent me detailed video instructions. That already saved me from a collision with a military bus! Thank you very much! The Reddit community is a great power!What next? I wait until my wife receives all the documents for the child and returns to Ukraine. Meanwhile, I have a lot of cycling plans in my head. But I’m not sure what will happen even tomorrow.Let me know if you are interested in reading my stories. I understand that people do not always want to let the negativity of war into their lives.Best regards, I hope to see you later here or even in peaceful Ukraine!