Dougal Ainsley from Brixton and his brother Hamish from Wirksworth in Derbyshire are driving from Banbury, Oxfordshire, to Lviv in Ukraine.
They are delivering a 4×4 pickup evacuation vehicle that will go directly to the frontline in the fight against Russia’s invasion.
The three-day, 1,318-mile, drive across Europe is one of 38 convoys driven by 350 volunteers which, so far, have provided more than 175 vehicles for frontline efforts since the war began.
They are organised by Driving Ukraine which has also raised more than £1.2m for the project and encourages people to join them in driving, fundraising and donating vehicles.
Hamish and Dougal are “real people who have put their hands up to take one of the vehicles on a Driving Ukraine convoy,” said the organisation.
As well as their journey, the brothers are fundraising to purchase and donate the vehicle.
This fundraising effort will cover the cost of transporting the vehicle from Oxfordshire to Lviv and on to the eastern Ukrainian frontline.
On reaching Lviv, the 4×4 pick-up will be delivered to a workshop run by Ukrainian volunteers where vehicles are prepared for the combat zone.
Members of the Ukrainian armed forces will then take the vehicle further into the country, where it will be used to evacuate casulaties wounded during the ongoing conflict in which every nine minutes the evacuation of a wounded person is attempted in Ukraine
Driving Ukraine said that since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, civilian casualties have exceeded 12,000, 10 million people have been displaced, 10,000 missiles have been launched at Ukraine, and more than 2,000 healthcare facilities have been damaged or destroyed
Dougal has a strong desire to help Ukraine and for the wider region to retain its freedom and sovereignty, having taught in Poland and visited friends in Romania and the Czech Republic.
Driving Ukraine said further financial donations are vital to support its work. You can contribute at https://donorbox.org/drivingukraine
Instagram: drivingukraine
