On June 17, a volunteer group from Great Britain handed over 23 cars for the needs of military brigades, in particular from the Lviv region. Transport will help them perform combat tasks – evacuate the wounded or civilians, transport equipment, etc.
“During the war, it is very important to know that Ukraine is not alone, they help us and believe in our victory. Volunteers from Great Britain have already handed over 130 off-road vehicles, thanks to which our soldiers are retaking Ukrainian land. Today’s cars will go to the military from the 80th ODSHBr, the 103rd and 125th ground defense brigades, the 62nd separate battalion of the TRO, and the 47th OMBr “Magura”. Part of the pickups will remain in the Lviv regional TCC and SP,” said the head of the Lviv OVA, Maksym Kozytskyi.
The initiator of the “Pickups for Peace” campaign is British farmer Mark Laird. He has been helping the Ukrainian military since 2014. From February 2022, together with a team of volunteers, he already handed over thermal imagers, body armor, warm NATO-style clothing, and generators for 24 OMBr named after King Danylo.
“Our farmers could not just stand aside and watch as the Russian army attacked Ukraine. We are trying to unite all those willing to help Ukrainians in Great Britain. This applies to humanitarian aid and supporting your military. In the fall of last year, the “Pickups for Peace” initiative was launched, since then our farmers have been handing over their cars for the needs of Ukraine. Many of them bring their own transport. This is our fifth trip to Ukraine and we are not going to stop there. We planned to bring the next batch of pickups at the end of June and in July. It will be like this until you win!”, Mark Laird emphasized.
Dozens of Britons who independently transport cars to Ukraine joined this initiative. Some go in families to replace each other at the wheel, because the road is not close. Most of the volunteer guests are in Ukraine for the first time. In conversations, all of them often emphasize that they are on the side of Ukraine.
Each time, the cars are not empty – inside are sets of winter or summer tires, generators and other things for defenders, as well as humanitarian aid that may be needed by internally displaced persons or residents of the frontline areas.
For the first time, today’s batch of cars from Great Britain within the framework of “Pickups for Peace” will go to meet the needs of soldiers from the 125th Brigade of the Ground Defense Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
“Cars at the front are often damaged, break down, come under enemy fire. Therefore, the need for transport is constant. Our brigade has been on the front line since June 2022. Soon these pickup trucks will go to the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions to separate battalions of the brigade,” said Bohdan Gagalyuk, the head of communications of the 125th brigade of the TRO Forces.