"We Will Be Back...!"
These are the plans for our next front line humanitarian aid mission, starting postponed to July of 2023
Editorial Note:
The Goal of €15.000 could not be reached and had to be reduced to €7.500, which also was not reached. Nevertheless we will send one vehicle for the time of 4 weeks in July/August to Ukraine to help where ever possible.
Above all, this mission can only take place if we manage to collect the minimum amount of €15.000 by May 1st, 2023. This may seem like an immense sum at first glance, but when you consider that this represents just €5,000 per month for food, water, clothing, toiletries and medical supplies for +2000 civilians, it’s not much. In addition, we also want to transport these necessary goods to people in need. For this we also need fuel (diesel) for currently two vehicles (Fiat Ducato).
Compared to our first mission, nothing has changed as far as our task is concerned, but a lot will change in the implementation and planning. The first mission was more comparable to a (partly) organized chaos. We were mostly affiliated with other groups, but then we broke away from them due to a lack of communication and planning. Then we also traveled with volunteers who were thrown together at short notice, or supported other local organizations. Ultimately, it turned out that the current core harmonizes best with each other because we all have the same ideas about organization, planning and mission security.
Based on our past experience, we have come to the conclusion that a permanent team of professionals (in their respective fields) is the best way to trade most effectively and safely. For this we wish for volunteers who where former soldiers and members with experience in civil defense and rescue services. Only with such voluntary helpers can we be sure that, based on their training and experience, they can act quickly and correctly in certain situations and not panic. In this way we can ensure the safety of everyone and act effectively in dangerous situations.
As soon as this team has come together and we are in Ukraine, the first 1-2 weeks will consist of refreshing our first responders knowledge and training in driving in convoys. Also training for communication and behavior in case of danger. Training is also planned on recognizing mines / ammunition and handling weapons lying around (unloading, securing and handing over to security forces) to protect the civilian population and our own safety. Even if the possibility that we will get into these situations is quite small, it is better to know what to do. The first 1-2 weeks are also used for „team building“ and to get to know each other better.
Starting in the third week, we will move to the contested areas and frontlines in eastern and southern Ukraine. Our areas of operation will be Kharkiv, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson Oblast, whereby we will be increasingly active in Kharkiv and Donetsk Oblast, since the majority of our civilian and military contacts are located there. These contacts are crucial for our trips, because they can tell us which goods are needed at which locations. Likewise, these contacts can also provide us with information about the situation on site, which we need for careful route planning and risk and resource assessment. Our trips last between 3-6 days and start in Kyiv. Depending on the region of operation, we will procure the required relief supplies from trusted dealers during stopovers in Kharkiv, Kramatorsk, Dnipro or in Kryvyi Rih. From there, with careful route planning and the accompaniment of local armed forces, we will move the goods to the civilians in need at the appropriate locations at the front.
Current Situation In Ukraine
Information provided by deepstatemap.live
Map Legend:
Green – Liberated area
Light red – Russian occupied territory
Dark red: Illegally annexed territory by Russia 2014