Humvee purchased in Canada by Estonian volunteers bound for Ukraine's front lines

The military vehicle named after late Estonian journalist Teet Korsten will be used by an assault battalion.
This off‑roader traveled a long way to Estonia: thanks to NGO SAB UA volunteers, the vehicle crossed the ocean. It was purchased at an auction in Canada for 35,000 Canadian dollars. Getting all permits and transporting it took a year and a half, but the result was worth the effort.
"The most important thing is that it can drive anywhere and evacuate soldiers from anywhere, from any trouble, while maintaining enough speed — which is crucial in today's war, so you can escape even from a drone," said Roman Muttik of the NGO SAB UA.
Humvee is a powerful, rugged military off‑road vehicle. The vehicle is already 40 years old, yet it still runs and can traverse any terrain.
Under the hood of this Humvee is the legendary 6.2‑liter diesel V8. This simple, durable engine can run even on very low‑quality fuel. The vehicle consumes about 30 liters per 100 kilometers, but fuel economy is not is not that important.
"What matters is having the necessary resource, power and the ability to deliver soldiers and evacuate them from combat zones," Muttik said.
In this vehicle you cannot say "buckle up," because there are no seat belts.
Many people confuse Humvee with the Hummer.
"Hummer is the more serious civilian name for the combat vehicle that was released for civilian use. It has kept some of its off‑road capability, of course, but the basic military version, the HMMWV — the Humvee — is the best machine for the military," Muttik said.
This vehicle also carries symbolic meaning — it is dedicated to Estonian journalist Teet Korsten. He was supposed to drive this vehicle himself to the handover point for the military, but sadly that was not meant to happen — Korsten passed away unexpectedly in July.

Korsten spent many years working for the Ida‑Viru local newspaper Põhjarannik before later writing for the Estonian daily Postimees.
"Teet traveled with us in the previous convoy — we had a big convoy about a year ago, the Baltic convoy. And when I told him: 'There's a Humvee, will you come with us?' he lit up, he really wanted to go. But unfortunately, he is no longer with us. So we decided to name this vehicle after him — this Humvee will be called 'Teet'," said war journalist Arkady Babchenko.
Korsten wholeheartedly supported Ukraine. To place her father's name on the vehicle's body, journalist's daughter, Mirjam Korsten, came to meet the volunteers.
"For my father, Estonia's freedom was very important, but Ukraine's freedom was just as important. Last year he himself traveled with a humanitarian convoy to Ukraine and sent me a postcard from Kyiv. He wrote that he hoped that someday we would go to Kyiv together. And I very much hope that I will still be able to visit Kyiv — with my father in my heart, but already in peaceful times, not during war," said Mirjam Korsten.
Very soon this off‑roader will head to Ukraine under its own power, to serve on the front line and save soldiers' lives.
"Soon it will go to the 109th battalion of Crimean Tatars, the Devlet Giray battalion. It is an assault combat battalion, it will go to the very front, to fight. We hope it lives long," Babchenko said.
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Editor: Jelizaveta Kalugina, Argo Ideon
Source: ETV+










