Illustration: #IllyaUhnivenko
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Andriy Lyubka is a Ukrainian writer living in Uzhhorod. At the beginning of the full-scale russian invasion of Ukraine, he received many requests for help from acquaintances from the east: some needed housing, and others needed to find things and equipment for the military. Andriy quickly realized that he would be able to do everything more efficiently if he started volunteering himself. And then he saw the army's need for cars: they often break down or come under fire at the front lines.
In April, the writer wrote a post on his Facebook about whether anyone is ready to drop money on a pickup truck for the army. He was curious whether this fundraising project would be successful, but the required amount of money was on the volunteer's card in the morning. And so it happened that collecting and purchasing cars became Andriy's niche.
Now a small team is working on it: Andriy writes stories on social media and calls on people to donate, two acquaintances are looking for cars abroad and driving them to Ukraine, and car repairers in Zakarpattia Oblast are repairing and painting cars. To buy a pickup truck or an off-road vehicle, you need about 5,000 euros. So people mobilize to collect quickly, usually sending small transfers — from 5 to 30 euros. But, Andriy comments, "Not those who have money, but those who have a conscience, join fundraising companies."
There are no problems with finding a driver who will take the car to the front line. Some want to go to see relatives who serve in the Armed Forces. Other residents of the western regions of Ukraine want to see with their own eyes what war is like. At the front line, everyone understands they are helping not an abstract "army" but specific, honest people who sacrifice their lives for the country's future.