Delivery to Ukraine

Bob wanted to do something practical to help the people of Ukraine and had a friend in Priston who had already been – taking a vehicle full of much-needed aid. There was no infrastructure to help him – he had to do all the (very complex) paperwork himself, and cover all his expenses. Bob offered to help with a repeat journey, and another friend was interested in joining them. They put aside a week at the end of August.

Tony Preston, who had been 50 times before, agreed to join the group, providing four donated Toyota 4 x 4s. Suddenly there were four willing drivers, all available to go at the end of August. Bob said his wife was of course, concerned about the risks the group would be taking, but still agreed that he should go – it was the right thing to do.

The three friends from Somerset left their cars at Gatwick airport, from where Tony took them to Folkestone to join the vehicles which were waiting to board the ferry to Dunkirk. From there they drove through France, Belgium and Germany, meeting up for mutual reassurance and a short break every two and a half hours. Their first overnight stop was at a service station outside Hanover, just short of Berlin. Bob couldn’t sleep, but at least made sure that he was physically rested, as the next day was going to be at least as arduous.

The next day, they crossed from Germany into Poland without difficulty. They travelled east through Wroclaw, Katowice and Kraków from where they were only two and a half hours from the Ukrainian border, and another two and a half to Lviv, their destination. A good sleep followed before an early start the following day.

On 2 September at 5.0 in the morning, there was the most stunningly beautiful sunrise. But the drivers were very aware that not far away, men like them were watching the dawn and thinking of the fighting that would go on that day. In Ukraine, the curfew that had lasted since midnight the day before was ending, and people in the towns would be emerging to see what damage the night had brought. The four drivers had only another two and a half hours to go before reaching the border and crossing into Ukraine. Initially there was little obvious evidence of war, with fields of sunflowers stretching as far as the eye could see. Many villages en route had ornate and sumptuous churches of various colours.

At midday, they reached Lviv. They were met, and the cars were taken immediately to the front line where they were so desperately needed. The four drivers took some time to learn about life in Lviv. Shortly after their arrival, at 1.0, bells tolled for the soldiers who had recently been killed. The day they were there, the 1.0 memorial was followed by a funeral for an assassinated politician, and the whole populace joined in.

Before their return, they had a day or so to contribute to the war effort by peeling vegetables at a local volunteer kitchen which produced 40,000 meals a day for the soldiers at the front. There is universal conscription for everyone over 25 – the age limit is as high as it is, to preserve the future of the country.

There are some moments of lightness – they were shown the toilet paper produced with Putin’s face printed on every sheet. But in the main, people are serious and sad. Every morning at 9.0 there is a one-minute silence to remember the dead. Cars come to a halt and wherever people are, everyone stops still to show respect.