Technology helps some to escape horror in Ukraine

The Russians are not the only ones with an escape plan. Thanks to the talent of Argentine programmer Alejandro Zuzenberg, the Helping To Leave organisation works around the clock to evacuate Ukrainians. From psychological and financial assistance to transit to safe areas, the NGO has helped over 100,000 people. Some describe it as a search for survival or “the direct line to evacuate Ukrainians,”

“We never imagined that a bot from our platform was literally going to save lives in a war. Despite the sadness produced by what is happening in Ukraine, it gives us great pride to be able to help thousands of civilians escape to other countries,” assures Zuzenberg.

The requests of those who need help are received via a bot in the Telegram social network. Tagged chatbot and developed by the Argentine, it functions in various languages: Ukrainian, Russian and English. The applicant must say from where they need to escape, Kherson, Mariupol or Donetsk, how many of them they are, where they want to go and whether they have pets. According to their answers, they are transferred to a volunteer.

“In mid-march we noticed an unusual volume of activity in one of the accounts. That’s how we arrived at Helping To Leave. At that moment, we contacted them to help them with the creation of the bot, arranging that the app not carry any cost for the NGO. The chat is the first contact with civilians,” explains the creator.

Over 7.5 million Ukrainians have escaped their country since the war began. The United Nations estimates that at least 6,000 Ukrainian civilians have been butchered although they assume the number of dead to be higher.