Vehicles from UK 'helping save lives' in Ukraine

A member of the Ukrainian Army has thanked the efforts of people in the UK who helped deliver a fleet of vehicles to the war effort there.

Bruce Burrow, from Newnham-on-Severn in Gloucestershire, set off on the 2,000-mile journey last week to the Army Veterans Volunteer Centre in Cherkasy.

He led a convoy of five vehicles with the help of his two friends Phil Pritchard and Alison Green, who arrived home earlier this week.

"It's very important for us to know that we are not alone in our fight," said the soldier, who the BBC is not naming to protect her identity, adding that the vehicles would help "save the lives of many people at the front line".

The soldier told BBC Radio Gloucestershire that people in the war-torn country were "deeply grateful" for the contribution from Gloucestershire as Ukrainian forces continue to resist the Russian invasion.

"Our towns suffer drone attacks, and last night Bruce heard the missiles flying out over his truck.

"We are not at the front line here but we try to do our best to help those people who are at the very front, to provide any aid which we can."

She said the five vehicles from Gloucestershire would be used to evacuate the wounded and deliver food and equipment to military units.

Semi-retired builder Burrow said: "It was a real relief to get here, ad to see the people that I know here – it was great."

He described the weather in Ukraine as "bitter", with temperatures as low as -23 degrees Celsius (-9.4 Fahrenheit).

Despite the freezing cold weather, Burrow said his friends at the volunteer centre were "delighted" to see him, and that the trip so far had been a "terrific success."

"They're so pleased. I know a good few of them personally, and I hadn't seen them for a couple of years. So that was really something."

Burrow had already been to Ukraine several times to deliver food and supplies, but this time, he led a convoy of five vehicles which will be used on the front line.

He said that during the winter, the volunteer centre requests clothing, food and vehicles for the soldiers, to help give them mobility.

"They source vehicles from all over Europe, and they're getting expensive and relatively scarce," explained Burrow.

He plans to stay in Ukraine for a little while longer, to help deliver the vehicles to soldiers on the front line.

His team have gone against travel advice from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office which states that there is an ongoing risk of harm to British nationals from Russian attacks across all of Ukraine and advices against all travel to a large part of the country.

"I would like to thank the people that have helped me," he said.

"We mustn't forget, Philip and Ali, to make that offer to come all this way at their own expense, is quite an ordeal.

"I simply couldn't have done it without them offering their assistance."

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