Illustration: #JeniaPolosina
#Zaporizhzhia
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Before the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Andriy Liskovych lived and worked in Silicon Valley. On the first day of the full-scale war, Andriy went to a rally in San Francisco, but he quickly realized that this wasn’t enough. So on February 26, the man took a ticket to Europe, subsequently traveling to Ukraine. Several other men crossed the border with Andriy, including a 21-year-old boy from the USA who didn’t speak Ukrainian but wanted to join the army. Among the things that inspired foreigners to come to Ukraine at that time was President Zelenskyy's speech, as well as his personal example of resilience and belief in victory.
Andriy went to his native Zaporizhzhia, a city not far from the southern front. There, the man saw that there were plenty of people willing to fight, but the provision of the army was lacking: the state couldn’t promptly provide the defenders with everything they needed. So Andriy focused on purchasing equipment and machinery.
Since the man has many acquaintances left in the USA, in particular at Uber, he involved American friends in volunteering and registered the NGO Ukraine Defense Fund in Ohio. The foundation collects donations, searches for equipment for the military abroad, organizes delivery logistics and transfers aid to the Armed Forces. The foundation also configures high-tech devices (such as drones or communication devices) and teaches the military how to use them properly.
In the first two months, the Ukraine Defense Fund managed to collect over a million dollars in aid. Andriy says that he is ready to continue volunteering in Ukraine as long as the country and the army need it. After all, modern war is a war not only of weapons, but also of well-established logistics. Whoever has a better logistics supply chain is in a better position.