![[R] Daniil Ostroverkh stands next to his burnt out home and [L] helping people on the front line](https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/6321d2352400001e008a0f8c.jpg?cache=oo45tVrzlf&ops=scalefit_720_noupscale&format=webp)
A Ukrainian student helping to feed people on the frontline has warned that some officials in the country are stealing humanitarian aid.
19-year-old Daniil Ostroverkh, from Kharkiv, said that a “large amount” of aid is stolen by senior Ukrainian figures.
He said a “big thank you” to the British public who had helped the country in its fight against Vladimir Putin’s forces.
But he advised people to transfer funds to UK-based charities that are buying produce in Ukraine itself.
Ostroverkh, a student at the Automobile and Road University, told HuffPost UK: “I want to say a big thank you to the people of Great Britain for their help and support during such a difficult time.
“What is being shown in the news about more humanitarian aid is not true. It would not be a shame to talk about it, but a large amount of humanitarian aid is stolen by deputies and officials.
“I will not name the names and positions of these people, but unfortunately there are not such good people who are trying to make money from the war.”
Ostroverkh started volunteering in March shortly after Russian forces launched their invasion.
He is part of charity “Sunflower Scotland” whose head, Oleg Dmitriev, organises fundraisers in Scotland and sends money to Ostroverkh in Ukraine.
He then buys food in the region and takes it to wherever the front line is and the people who need it most.
Ostroverkh keeps the receipts from all his purchases and the charity in Scotland provides reports on where the money has gone. It also means the money goes to Ukrainian manufacturers and businesses.
Ostroverkh revealed that his own home in Kharkiv recently burnt down after it was hit by two Russian missiles.
However, he said he was feeling optimistic after Ukraine’s major counter-offensive recently drove many Russian troops out of territory in the east.
“But I’m sure it’s not over yet,” he added. “Our army is the best and fearless, we know what we are fighting for, we are fighting for our freedom.
“People say a lot of kind and warm words, this is a very big motivation for me and for my team.”
Just a few months ago when he arrived in a war torn settlement near Balakliya he took chocolate with him for the children.
“When I saw the children on the street I took the chocolate and went to them the children started running away screaming ‘Russian soldiers!’
“Only after the parents came out and saw my documents I was able to give the children chocolate.
“The war affected the children very much, it affected all of us, we will never be the same as we were before the war.”
Ostroverkh said that when the war ends he would like to help people rebuild their homes: “Many have lost their homes just like me.”
He added: “There is only one hope, I hope that the war will end soon and normal life will come, without explosions and deaths of loved ones.”