Brothers unite in helping get vital emergency vehicles out to Ukraine

Two brothers are preparing to embark on a vital drive out to Ukraine as part of the war-torn nation’s battle for survival in the face of the Russian invasion.

Dougal Ainsley, from Barrington Road, Brixton, and Hamish, from Wirksworth, Derbyshire, are heading from Banbury in Oxfordshire to Lviv, not far inside Ukraine near the Polish border.

They are working for Driving Ukraine, a charity set up to provide humanitarian assistance to a land that is entering a fourth year under direct siege from Moscow.

The organisation has 350 volunteers and has driven 38 convoys, providing more than 178 vehicles for front line efforts since the war began – raising more than £1.2 million to carry out the missions.

The brothers are now part of this crucial initiative, and will be co-driving a Mitsubishi L200 in a seven-vehicle convoy heading east. In addition to their journey, they are fundraising to purchase and donate their vehicle.

Partnering with the Driving Ukraine team, Hamish and Dougal have committed to a three-day, 1,318-mile drive across Europe, aiming to deliver an evacuation vehicle that will go directly to the Ukrainian front line.

On reaching Lviv, the 4×4 pick-up will be delivered to a dedicated workshop run by Ukrainian volunteers, where vehicles are prepared for the combat zone.

Members of the Ukrainian armed forces then take the vehicle further into the country, where it will be used to evacuate those wounded during the ongoing conflict.

Older brother Dougal, 47, said: “So many people in Ukraine are having their lives disrupted, or worse. We need to try and do something.  There aren’t many ways to have a direct impact. Finding out about what Driving Ukraine is doing inspired us to volunteer.”

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, civilian casualties have reached more than 12,000, with millions of people displaced, and with 10,000 missiles having been launched at Ukraine, more than 2,000 healthcare facilities have been damaged or destroyed.

Hamish, 45, will be using experience gained from running a distribution business, together with a long and sometimes challenging road trip experience driving a lap of Australia.

Dougal has a strong desire to help Ukraine and the wider region retain its freedom and sovereignty, having a great affection for Eastern Europe gained through teaching in Poland, and visiting friends in Romania and the Czech Republic.

Further financial donations are vital in supporting the charity. To donate visit: https://donorbox.org/drivingukraine

Driving Ukraine started with driving one van of supplies to Ukraine in March 2022. Following this, volunteers flew to Poland to pick up vans stationed on the border and delivered humanitarian aid to locations such as hospitals, aid centres, orphanages and refugee centres in Poland and Ukraine.

The current focus is delivering vehicles to Ukraine, including ambulances, helicopter-evacuation team vehicles, 4×4 evacuation vehicles and first aid responder vehicles.

Pictured top: Dougal, left, and Hamish Ainsley (Picture: Driving Ukraine)