The vehicles were handed over with the support of the Lviv Regional Military Administration and the Lviv and Yavoriv District Military Administrations.
Farmers from Great Britain united and overcame a long road across Europe to deliver 22 pickup trucks and SUVs to Ukraine for the 24th OMBr named after King Danylo for the second time.
This volunteer group brought cars for the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the first time a month ago. There were 20 of them. In total, the plan is to hand over 100 SUVs for 24 brigades. Farmers call their action Pickups for Peace, and they mostly don’t buy cars – they give their own, from their own farms. Most are immediately repainted in green, military color.
In this way, British farmer Mark Laird called on colleagues in the shop to help Ukraine. He says: he had no doubt that so many Britons and Scots would respond, because the whole of Great Britain watches and admires the struggle of Ukrainian defenders every day through the Internet and television.
“The entire delegation that arrived in Lviv Oblast this time are wealthy, educated people, many of them came as families (spouses, or parents and adult children), as well as conducting business. Most volunteer guests are in Ukraine for the first time. But, despite the war, everyone enthusiastically overcame the long road, replacing each other at the wheel. Cars were ferried across the English Channel. Together with the representatives of the brigade, we are sincerely grateful to our friends from Britain and Scotland for this great help to our defenders. We feel that the people of the United Kingdom are with us every day in our struggle,” says Hrystyna Zamula, head of the Lviv District Military Administration.
It would, of course, be easier to transport cars with trucks. However, these people admired the courage and courage of Ukrainians, watched a lot of stories about the struggle of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on local TV channels, and especially about the royal brigade and Ukrainian volunteers. Therefore, they decided to transport and hand over the cars themselves in order to learn more about Ukraine on the spot, to see it with their own eyes and to talk about its struggle later, in their homeland.
“I feel that the people of Ukraine are boldly forming a strong border against Russia, and your war concerns us all. The idea behind the pickups is quite simple, and I’m glad that these vehicles will go to the front, in areas where they literally save lives,” says Mark Laird.
Bridget and Charles Galbraith came from Scotland. They say that they are very happy to overcome more than 2 thousand kilometers and visit Ukraine. Like many Britons, they wanted very much to help but didn’t know how. Therefore, they believe that the action “Pickups for Peace” is a great opportunity for them not just to sympathize, but to be truly complicit in the great battle for democracy and freedom in the world.
I am grateful to British farmers for already more than 40 cars of t.v.o. commander of the 24th OMB named after King Danylo, lieutenant colonel Andriy Bazyuk.
“Part of these cars will be handed over to the UAV unit, machine guns will be installed on others. Machines at the front can “live” for 5 minutes, units are withdrawn. until the end of the war. Equipment is destroyed not only by shelling, there are bad roads, off-road areas, swamps. They often break,” says the soldier.
All the cars are not empty – generators and various humanitarian aid that may be needed by internally displaced persons or residents of the frontline areas were also brought to us from Great Britain.
The initiator of the action – Mark Laird – has been helping the Ukrainian military since 2014. From February 2022, he tripled his efforts. Thermal imaging devices, bulletproof vests, warm NATO-style clothing, generators – all this he buys and hands over to the 24th Brigade named after King Danylo.
Volunteers from Great Britain plan to collect and bring the next batch of cars after Easter.