Two Senedd (Welsh Parliament) Members will travel to Ukraine this week to personally deliver essential vehicles and equipment to frontline defenders. This will be the parliamentarians’ eighth trip to Ukraine as part of the “Senedd 4 Ukraine” campaign.
Alun Davies – MS for Blaenau Gwent and Mick Antoniw – MS for Pontypridd
Mick Antoniw and Alun Davies, Labour Party members, will depart from South Wales to Kyiv on Thursday, February 20. The aid package includes:
- Five 4×4 vehicles to be used as frontline ambulances
- Medical supplies and individual first aid kits worth approximately £100,000
- Power banks and other essential equipment
Volunteers with some of the vehicles bound for Ukraine
The delegation will stay in Ukraine’s capital from February 24 to 27, coinciding with the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion. The vital aid is funded by donations from trade unions, Senedd Members of all political parties, and private individuals from Wales, USA, and Canada. After this delivery, the total number of vehicles provided will reach 37, with the value of delivered equipment exceeding one million pounds. The organizers are planning further deliveries.
“These deliveries represent practical solidarity with Ukraine in its fight against Russia. At this historic moment, Ukrainians are fighting not only for their own freedom and sovereignty but for democracy in Europe,” stated Mick Antoniw, who is of Ukrainian descent.
The parliamentarians will be joined by Chris Kitchen, General Secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers; Wayne Thomas, South Wales Secretary and Vice President of the National Union of Mineworkers; Carwyn Donovan, former miner and current Bectu official; Jan and Donna Michaelis; and Peter Clancy, who is flying from America to support the delivery. In Kyiv, the group will meet with trade unions, military unit representatives, Ukrainian MPs, and a charity dedicated to rescuing children who have been abducted and taken to Russia.
“I was in Ukraine the day before the invasion. A week later, Ukrainian miners contacted us for help. Just as they supported UK miners during our strike of 1984/85, we now support them,” said Chris Kitchen.
Wayne Thomas, who has already driven to Ukraine seven times, emphasized: “It’s the Ukrainian miners, factory workers, and public sector workers who risk their lives daily fighting Russian fascism and defending the population. They are fighting for us as much as for Ukraine.”
Currently, the ongoing fundraiser has collected £8,990 of the targeted £15,000, with 98 donors contributing. Anyone wishing to support the campaign can do so on GoFundMe at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/2ngyr-help-us-save-lives-in-ukraine
Note: Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the “Senedd 4 Ukraine” initiative has made 11 trips, delivering 25 vehicles and providing aid worth over 1 million pounds.
