Ukrainians stand with supplies in the Kharkiv district organized by Kelowna Stands with Ukraine.
Image Credit: FACEBOOK/Valeriy Payevsky
April 24, 2022 - 2:15 PM
A Ukrainian resident is thanking a Kelowna group that has been personally funding and donating military supplies to the country under siege.
Kelowna resident Danylo Sora said he spent a week in Warsaw, Poland, delivering supplies gathered by Kelowna Stands with Ukraine, an online Facebook group that has been sending military and medical supplies overseas since Russia invaded Ukraine in February.
READ MORE: Kelowna man defending military units in Ukraine
A Ukrainian man, Valeriy Payevsky, posted in the group Friday, April 22, thanking Kelowna residents for their efforts.
Medicine collected was handed over to the "Special Medical Battalion" to prepare the first-aid kits for defenders. Thirty walkie-talkies and other military supplies were given to scout groups in the Kyiv and Kharkiv regions, he wrote.
“Quadcopters were handed over to our defenders in the most ‘tense’ directions, with the help of the equipment provided, the operations of our military are very successful in countering enemy attacks,” he wrote.
Sora has since returned to Kelowna and plans to head oversees again but needs to collect additional supplies and raise money to fund another plane ticket.
READ MORE: Kelowna mom supporting son's humanitarian efforts in Ukraine through donations
“War in my country is happening… If can help to save a life of soldiers who are helping save the lives of thousands of civilians and defend my country,” Sora said.
In a video posted to his Facebook page, Sora showed a video of a vehicle with a Kelowna Stands with Ukraine sign following behind a tank. Aid from Kelowna is going directly to Ukraine’s front lines, he said.
Kelowna Stands with Ukraine has raised $260,000 since the war began, said organizer Denys Storozhuk. Donations are being accepted through the group’s email ukrainekelowna@gmail.com.
Another Kelowna man will also be leaving for Poland tomorrow to bring 15 suitcases worth of military and medical supplies including 30 pieces of body armour, Storozhuk said.
He will also bring back supplies and souvenirs from Ukraine created by locals for an exhibition in Kelowna to fundraise more money for Ukraine. Dates have yet to be determined when it will be held, but the group is hoping for sometime next month.
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