There’s an Army of Volunteers Driving Supplies to Ukraine’s Frontline. I’m One of Them. newsbhunt

When Vladimir Putin’s Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, I was a long way away, scuba diving in Madagascar. Having decided to stop reporting on conflicts, I was writing a book on Cuba. But when the war broke out next door to my native Poland, I was overwhelmed by the scale of the monstrosity and couldn’t stay away.

Like many of my fellow Poles, I could have focused on helping the refugees and provided teddy bears, Pampers and baby formula to the Ukrainian children fleeing with their mothers across the Polish border. But given the obvious injustice of the full-scale invasion and my own experience as a longtime war correspondent, I decided instead that I wanted to support the Ukrainian army.

I called a historian friend in Odesa and asked what was most needed. He answered with one word: tourniquets. I googled “tourniquets,” found a provider in Warsaw, bought two suitcases worth and flew to Chisinau, Moldova. A border crossing, four hours in a shared taxi (or “marshrutka”) and voilà: I was in Odesa with the tourniquets. Soon, someone needed a driver to cross the border to deliver a car to Ukrainian forces. Then I was asked to carry in a few drones. Next thing I knew, I was acting as an unofficial military procurement officer for units on the front lines.