Russia plans to dispatch qualified volunteers on humanitarian missions to other countries by 2026-2028. The initiative aims to form an international volunteer reserve for targeted assistance abroad and strengthen Russia's humanitarian standing, engaging specialists like medical professionals and restorers.
India launched "Operation Amistad" sending two IAF C-17 aircraft with a field hospital and over 35 tons of relief supplies to Venezuela following devastating earthquakes. The operation includes a 41-member Indian Army medical team and BHISHM Cubes, as the death toll in Venezuela rises to 235.
France confirms its first Ebola case in a doctor returning from a humanitarian mission in the DRC, where an outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain is complicated by conflict and has led to 1,048 confirmed cases and 267 deaths as of June 21.
The US Navy's Pacific Partnership 2026, its largest annual humanitarian mission, has launched with a focus on Southeast Asia. Analysts see it as an effort to rebuild confidence and project soft power amid rivalry with China.
India and Russia signed the Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Agreement (RELOS) in February 2025, enabling two-way access to airbases and ports for military exercises, training and humanitarian missions. The pact, ratified in December and effective since January, allows up to five warships, 10 aircraft and 3,000 troops to be simultaneously stationed in the partner country for five years, extendable to 10 years. It is expected to strengthen cooperation in servicing India's Russian-origin military equipment and could extend India's strategic reach to the Arctic region.
A Ukrainian drone strike targeted a car belonging to a Sevastopol humanitarian mission carrying Easter gifts, medicines and food to frontline settlements, injuring two of four team members. The volunteers received first aid on site and were hospitalized. Despite the attack, the team plans to continue providing assistance to people along the frontline.
