Oren Dorell

USA TODAY

BERDYANSK, Ukraine — When war sent waves of refugees across east Ukraine, Oleg Zinchenko decided that the expansion of his fish processing plant could wait.

Instead of installing equipment in the newly built facility, Zinchenko devoted himself — and his resort properties — to housing people displaced by the fighting, and to providing goods and money to citizens who volunteered to defend his city.

"Before we were focused on making money. Now business people are thinking about surviving — and helping others," Zinchenko said. "Before, people were sleeping in terms of public activity. Now they've woken up."

Despite warnings — from NATO, Ukraine and Western monitors — that pro-Russian separatists are on the verge of a new offensive threatening this town on the Sea of Azov in southeastern Ukraine, residents say the fighting hardens their resolve to remain free.

That self-reliance is leading civilian organizations to increasingly fill a void left by a government overwhelmed by refugees and military needs.

"One of the stories of Ukraine in the past year has been the strength and resilience of Ukrainian society," said U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt. "I don't think anybody would want what Ukraine has suffered over the past few months, but Ukraine is stronger and more unified now because of what happened."

At least 250,000 refugees displaced by fighting in Ukraine's war-torn east have sought help, according to the United Nations. However, that number could be just the tip of the iceberg, as many of the displaced stay with friends or family and don't register with authorities.

Berdyansk officials estimate 120,000 people have flowed into their city, while 40,000 officially sought help there in the summer, said Lyudmila Shapoval, deputy mayor for social and humanitarian issues.

The city stepped in by enrolling hundreds of students in school, providing benefits to mothers and helping refugees restart their pensions. Complicating the situation, many of the refugees' records were left behind in the rush to flee, Shapoval said.

"We're basically out of money now," Shapoval said, referring to the strain on the city's budget. "Many residents and business people are reaching into their own pockets to help."

Sergii Dovbush, who owns a trucking and logistics company in the Black Sea port city of Odessa, said he got into the patriotic spirit a year ago when security forces ambushed unarmed demonstrators who wanted closer ties to Europe instead of Russia.

Those protesters eventually overthrew then-President Viktor Yanukovych, but when Russia seized Crimea in February and backed separatists seizures in east Ukraine, they realized the country's defenses were unprepared.

"Many people went to fight practically with bare hands. They had no weapons. Quite often they were starving, but they had a high conviction that they need to protect their Motherland," Dovbush said. "Immediately the volunteer movement rose in Ukraine, and the main motto was, 'Nobody but us' (can do it)."

Today, Dovbush and his colleagues send funds and equipment to a center in Dnepropetrovsk in southeast Ukraine, which is used to funnel donated supplies to local militias who fight against the pro-Russian separatists and the Russian troops NATO says are being sent across the border.

Walking through his storefront staging area past a mountain of sleeping bags and rows of camp stoves, canned food and sacks of potatoes, Vitaliy Beltadze, staff commander for the Berdyansk Self-Defense Force, said many of the supplies were either donated or bought with donated funds for the militia members.

The self-defense troops — who are learning to patrol the streets and stop pro-Russian forces from infiltrating the city — have spent weeks erecting road blocks and digging trenches to prepare the city's defense as directed by Ukrainian military advisers.

"We're ready, and we will defend," Beltadze said. "If (Ukrainian) troops retreat from Mariupol, they will come here. And they will fight. Berdyansk is such a nice little place that people from across Ukraine will come to defend it."

Contributing: Tatyana Goryachova. Follow on Twitter @OrenDorell