The Russian Red Cross is setting up mobile aid stations in each of the eight Federal Districts, to be deployed in the very first hours of an emergency. This will enable timely assistance in areas lacking infrastructure, and will strengthen the RRC emergency response capability.
Mobile stations essentially operate as field offices of the Russian Red Cross that can be put to use in a variety of emergencies, fr om natural disasters and industrial accidents to social crises.
The main advantage of RRC mobile aid stations is that they are multipurpose and multifunctional: each can be modified to serve a specific purpose. Depending on the situation they can act as victims gathering and registration points, humanitarian aid distribution sites or field depots, mother and child rooms, or RRC mobile headquarters. Depending on the season, this infrastructure can also serve as a warming or cooling space.
“With the mobile stations we can work in any location throughout the country, even in places wh ere permanent infrastructure cannot be deployed, or when we need to do it in a very short time. They already proved effective during our response to the Kursk region emergency when we had to quickly set up a reception center for residents, or after the Crocus City Hall terrorist attack when rescue teams of the Ministry of the Russian Federation for Civil Defence, Emergency Situations and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters needed help, or near the Crimea Bridge where they served as mother and child rooms and storage spaces to keep a stock of drinking water. Now we are scaling up this success story by gradually expanding the infrastructure to cover the entire country,” remarked Pavel Savchuk, President of the Russian Red Cross.
Each mobile station is fully electrified and equipped to ensure autonomous operation: they have diesel-engine generators, blow heaters and air conditioners to maintain comfortable temperature. Inside there are folding desks and chairs that can be used to set up a mobile office and provide a work area for Russian Red Cross personnel in any location where the station will be delivered.
Development of the mobile infrastructure was facilitated, in particular, by the establishment of the Emergency Response Fund in 2024. With every contribution to the Fund, we can not only enhance our material and technical capabilities but also accumulate stocks of humanitarian aid, medical supplies and essential items to enable quick response in the event of natural disasters, fires and other emergencies. Support from its contributors enables RRC to quickly respond to challenges in any region of the country, providing the most essential supplies to affected communities during the first critical hours after the emergency.
