Standing in the rain in the middle of a Northamptonshire truck stop, a Ukrainian lorry driver video-called his wife and children, who grinned and waved at him on the screen despite the peril facing their country.
He is one of 13 drivers who have been stranded here for five days after the haulage companies they work for were unable to fund their fuel and toll passes in the midst of Russia’s invasion.
All are desperate to get back to their families, some of whom are sheltering from missiles in Kyiv, and many are eager to join the fight against Putin’s forces.
“We want to go back to our families, and we want to fight. We’re not scared. We want to do it for the love for our country,” said driver Sergei Muzyczenko, in Ukrainian translated by local volunteer Sabina Bazaud.
“We’re phoning our families every day and getting information from them. My heart is in pain when I see videos of what is happening in Ukraine right now.”
The group has been inundated with support from local people who have brought a steady stream of hot meals and warm clothes, and volunteers are working around the clock to fill the trucks with aid for the drivers to take with them back to Ukraine.
The Salvation Army has offered to cover the £6,000 needed to pay for the 200 litres of fuel for each lorry, while Dan Zenchuk, a local British-Ukrainian who runs a logistics company, has offered to cover the money needed for tolls across Europe.
“We’re hoping to get them on the road soon. They appreciate all the support, but they just want to go home. A lot of them are planning on going home and picking up arms and fighting straight away, so that’s on their mind as well as their families,” he said.
“I’ll be happier when we see those lorries leaving and on the road, and we’re just hoping that what we’ve come up with is enough to get them there.”
The group are sleeping in their trucks, while Welcome Break is allowing them to use the on-site shower and laundry facilities for free.
Muzyczenko said the group had been “overwhelmed by the amount of people helping us”, and was keen to stress how they appreciated the UK’s news coverage of what is happening in Ukraine.
Support local charities
There are several Ukrainian charities working on the ground. Sunflower of Peace is a charity that helps paramedics and doctors, and has been fundraising for supplies, which includes first aid medical tactical backpacks.
United Help Ukraine focuses on providing medical supplies and humanitarian aid, and raising awareness of the conflict.
Voices of Children aims to help children affected by the war in eastern Ukraine, providing support through art therapy, psychologists, video storytelling and a number of other methods.
The British Red Cross has launched an emergency appeal to help Ukraine. The charity will be updating its webpage with news on the work its team is doing, and how support will be used to help people.
Support local journalism
English-language news outlets based in the country, such as Kyiv Independent and the New Voice of Ukraine, are covering developments on the ground as the conflict unfolds, using local journalists. The Kyiv Independent says it was created by journalists in order to defend editorial independence. This site on Twitter covers many local journalists in Ukraine.
Write to your local MP
This can be a way to lobby the British government to place further sanctions on the Russian government and its associates. You can get in touch with your local MP via email or post to their constituency address. Instructions on how to get in touch can be found on parliament.uk.
“The UK is saying the truth about Ukraine, because we’re hearing a lot of things from elsewhere, and there is a lot of propaganda and misinformation,” he said. “The information here is not fake.”
In the meantime, local volunteers are struggling to keep up with the amount of supplies flooding in from people eager to help. “We have a lot of donations, my house is literally full and we have a lot of businesses offering help too,” said Bazaud, before she dashed off to receive another load.
“I feel really proud of the response here,” said Zenchuk. “So many people have come forward and offered their help. I was at the truck stop for half an hour yesterday and about four or five cars turned up in that time alone, just to bring the drivers food, drink and other stuff. It was quite remarkable.”
