Estonian volunteers send off convoy of vehicles from Tallinn to Ukraine

On Friday morning, a convoy of volunteer-donated vehicles — from SUVs and ambulances to a U.S. firetruck — left Tallinn for Ukraine, scheduled to reach Kyiv on Ukrainian Independence Day.
Normally, volunteers send vehicles to the Ukrainian Armed Forces as soon as they are overhauled. This time, however, the charity organization SAB UA assembled an entire convoy of vehicles, including SUVs, a van, a couple of ambulances and even a firetruck shipped directly from the United States.
"Of course I always keep an eye on what's happening there," said Lauri, one of the volunteers behind the convoy. He said the vehicles they're sending will be very useful on the Ukrainian front.
"There are different types of vehicles here that can be used for whatever's needed — transport, evacuating the wounded, carrying supplies, even moving other vehicles," he explained.
Volunteers spent two months sourcing, purchasing and repairing the vehicles.
"In total, we spent €89,000, but we haven't covered that full amount yet," acknowledged Arkadi Babtšenko, another volunteer. "Our well-known film director Ilmar Raag and his 'Angry Hedgehog' fund pledged €30,000. The rest we still have to raise, though donations have nearly dried up. It's gonna take time."
According to Babtšenko, donations slowed after talk of peace sparked hopes the war might soon end.
"When the talk of peace or a ceasefire began, when Trump discussed it with Putin, donations dried up," he said. "People are just sitting around, waiting for peace."
Lauri, however, doubts peace in Ukraine is around the corner.
"Not really peace," he said. "Not real peace. A ceasefire? Hardly. What we really need is a Ukrainian victory."
On its way south, the Estonian convoy will be joined by ten more vehicles in Latvia and another 40 in Lithuania.
A ceremonial handover to Ukrainian troops will take place in Kyiv on Sunday, when Ukraine celebrates Independence Day.
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Editor: Johanna Alvin, Aili Vahtla










