We are the Pristanište foundation,

I express my gratitude to the Pristanište Foundation and say thank you to every volunteer, coordinator, founder, and resident! Thank you, guys, for creating a place where people understand each other, where support and empathy come first! It's an incredible place, and you are incredible! I would like to give special thanks to the volunteer Andrey, a kind-hearted person who, without unnecessary words, was there from the very first day, ready to help with anything he could. Andrey, I wish peace for your country, strength to your family, and all the best to you personally!
Thank you for everything! Warmest regards.
Glory to Ukraine!
Freedom for Russia!
Long live Belarus!

I learned about Pristanište from a friend back in December 2022, and I hesitated to go until one «beautiful» moment when I burned out in Moscow, losing all sense of life. And then, from an atmosphere where I had grown accustomed to thinking that I was alone (or that there were very few of us), that the world was hostile and unfair, and that I was powerless against evil and lawlessness, I found myself in Pristanište — a world of kindness, trust, and care. I was warmly received by Andrey, who took me under his wing. Accommodation, groceries, a SIM card, assistance in a tour office — everything is meticulously organized by the foundation. And then came the meeting with a tutor, communication with a psychologist...

In the first few days, you simply cannot believe that care for you, support, and genuine attention are a reality, not a fairy tale! Pristanište is so much more than a shelter. It is an opportunity to meet interesting and wonderful people, to get acquainted with those whom, in Russia, especially in the bustling and crowded Moscow, you would hardly ever have the chance to meet.

Pristanište is not just a roof and an asylum — it is sincere communication, shared understanding, leisure, personal development, and the opportunity to participate in the most extraordinary events. It is a collective endeavor.
Huge thanks to Svetlana and Alexander Shmelev for creating this foundation, to Andrey, Taya, Lyudmila, and many, many others who support life in this home for everyone! The spirit of real life, for which we came into this world.

Here, you don’t feel like a stranger; it’s as if you’re in a new home where everyone is family. And you feel that way even when you "fly out of the nest«— there really are no former Pristanište residents! Pristanište is the people, and being among them, you realize that the future of Russia is being saved here.

I am grateful for the friendship that triumphs over war. I thank you for preserving a piece of my life and my soul here. I leave to take a break and «reboot», hoping that I don’t say good-bye to anyone forever...

With respect and deep gratitude, Svetlana Rudzievskaya