Our effort to help Ukraine by delivering combat medical supplies
How Amazon, a lot of United Airlines miles, and donated suitcases helped the Ukrainian war effort.
To start, we’d like to say that we will be forever grateful to every person who supported our first Ukrainian supply run. We delivered over 600lbs of emergency medical and tactical supplies worth over $35k to 6 Ukrainian battalions and regiments in various areas, including Lviv, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Dnipro, and Zaporizhzhia. These items were delivered to Ukrainian defenders just as the second Russian offensive began.
The high impact of the supplies and the gratitude from Ukrainians shows us that even eight suitcases can make a big difference and that there is so much more we can do. The supplies are extremely valuable to the front lines due to their limited availability and served as a morale boost to Ukrainian defenders on the ground. As the war rages on and Ukrainians continue to fight for their freedom, we plan to continue our efforts to help.
See below for details on how you can help, photos of the supplies with Ukrainian defenders, and links to our social pages with more pictures.
The Transfer
We packed eight suitcases of donated supplies filled with items like IFAK packs for medics and soldiers to carry in combat, bandages, gauze rolls, chest seal adhesive dressings for bullet wounds, burn shield bandages, and tourniquets. We also had 10+ boxes waiting for us in Poland, filled with medical and tactical supplies we could purchase directly in Europe. In Poland we rented the largest car we could find — a Peugeot Station Wagon — packed the supplies, and drove to the Ukrainian border near Lviv.
Dmitriy’s dad and brother, who reside in Kyiv, drove to meet us at the border where we transferred the supplies.
Because of martial law banning all men between the age of 18–60 from leaving the country, Dmitriy’s brother, Slava, couldn’t cross into Poland so his father Volodymyr drove across for the hand-off. This was the first time he’s left Ukraine since the invasion and, due to Covid restrictions, the first time Dmitriy was able to see him in years.
Supplies in the hands of the Ukrainian Defenders
Dmitriy’s brother, Slava, is a doctor and knows many of the combat medics, so he was able to deliver supplies to the defenders within 24 hours. A medical regiment in Lviv, Ukraine was the first to receive the supplies and a day later was deployed to the Eastern front. An instructor from this regiment has a Facebook page showing defenders how to use the equipment.
“These are very valuable and hard to find items for the front lines.”
A close family friend to Dmitriy is a retired military commander who helped distribute the remainder of the supplies.
Through telegram channels, like the Kyiv supply channel and the Ukrainian armed forces channel, Dmitriy learned that even seemingly simple supplies are needed and much appreciated: tactical backpacks for the defenders to carry their supplies and gloves to help protect against the elements.
Supplies are also in the hands of the specialized sniper unit Alpha fighting on the Eastern Front.
How you can help Ukraine
Our trip showed us that every little bit helps and that no effort is too small. Every dollar donated, every pair of gloves, every tourniquet that a soldier can carry helps Ukraine fight for their freedom.
If you’d like to help, you can:
- Purchase supplies directly from our updated Amazon List
- Purchase supplies directly from the supplier and ship to 3333 Lake Street, #22D, Houston, TX 77098
- Venmo @Dmitriy-Dubrovsky money that will be used to purchase supplies (QR code below)
- Write letters to the soldiers for us to include in the deliveries and mail to 3333 Lake Street #22D, Houston, TX 77098
- Spread the word by sharing pictures, this article, the Amazon list, and follow along via my Instagram @sjolewis
Thank you again for all of the support and Slava Ukraini!
