With Alaskans’ help, Ukrainian woman gets much-needed supplies to her war-torn country

An assist group with roots in Alaska has been working to get much-needed provides to Ukraine, as that war-torn nation continues to battle Russian invaders.

On the finish of what’s now a world chain of volunteers and donors is a Ukrainian lady delivering the provides, all the things from medical kits and underwear to electrical turbines and drones.

Her title is Olga Shpak, and she or he was in Alaska final week to speak to fellow members of the Help Ukraine group about the place the provides are going and to inform Alaskans about what she’s seen because the battle in Ukraine has progressed over greater than a yr.

Earlier than the battle, Shpak labored as a whale biologist, however she was born and raised in Kharkiv, a metropolis hit laborious by Russian forces. Shpak knew from the start she needed to get dwelling to assist.

Hear:

Olga Shpak: Effectively, Kharkiv is lower than 40 kilometers from the Russian border. So on the primary day of battle, Russian tanks have been on the belt highway in Kharkiv. A few days later, Russian tanks can be within the metropolis. Kharkiv was by no means taken, however there have been battles within the metropolis. The planes bombed Kharkiv from the primary day of battle. The shelling, the shelling was fairly, fairly laborious for a lot of months.

Casey Grove: Forgive me for asking this, however have folks that that you understand been harm? Or have you ever misplaced anybody within the battle?

OS: Sadly, many. I’ve misplaced family members. I’ve misplaced a very, actually shut buddy of mine. After which, as a result of I began to volunteer from the start of the battle, I developed shut relationships with many troopers. And sadly, I can say that numerous telephone numbers in my telephone won’t ever be lively once more. I’ve misplaced lots of people.

CG: I’m sorry for that and simply what you’ve needed to undergo with that. Once you say if you began volunteering, what sort of issues have been you doing to help there?

OS: So the primary day I began to volunteer, there’s a tent on the central sq. of Kharkiv, proper in entrance of the regional administration constructing. So individuals within the metropolis, they knew about this place, civilians and troopers. After which, once more, lots of people who have been civilians yesterday turned troopers, proper on Feb. 24 (2022). So when the battle began, I imply, in fact, there was numerous panic, nothing was organized. However everybody knew that there’s a place to go to. So civilians would begin bringing medical provides, garments, meals to this place, gas, and the troopers which are passing by, they’ll rapidly cease, take what they wanted, and go the place they needed to go.

CG: Gotcha. Yeah, it sounds prefer it was, at first, simply type of born out of necessity however that as this battle has gone on, it needed to get extra organized. So how did you hear about Help Ukraine? When did that come up? And the way did you get connected with that group?

OS: It’s a kind of mysteries of how the networks work. And so it was by way of somebody by way of somebody, she was a buddy of my buddy who put me in contact with this lady in Alaska. After which that particular person mentioned, “Can I can I convey another person?” And that was Artwork (Davidson). And that is how we met.

CG: So inform me extra about Help Ukraine. I perceive it type of began right here in Anchorage, is that proper?

OS: Sure. Artwork Davidson along with his associates based this basis. And in addition Anne Garrels, who was once an NPR correspondent for a few years and labored in Russia. After which extra individuals joined the group. And it turned, it has change into, worldwide. I work on the bottom in Ukraine. Now it’s broad, geographically.

CG: Yeah, that’s tremendous attention-grabbing that it’s so huge now. And it makes me surprise about extra of the issues that you simply’re attempting to gather to get to Ukraine. It sounds prefer it’s simply type of like something, I imply, turbines, medical provides, uniforms. What else? I imply, what sort of issues are you attempting to get there? Does it simply type of rely on the day?

OS: When I attempt to clarify what I do, I’m saying, “Think about Amazon.” It may be underwear and socks. And people could also be urgently wanted, if individuals if individuals sit within the cellars in Bakhmut and may’t change, and so they don’t have entry to water. So to have garments to vary for dry ones may very well be essential for them. After which it may very well be pickup vans, may very well be Starlinks, may very well be drones, and something in between. Actually, something. And often it’s wanted yesterday. Each time I acquired the telephone name, it’s like, “We want it now.”

CG: It seems like it may be type of harmful simply to move issues in a automotive. It might get shelled or one thing like that. I imply, that appears terrifying to consider, to me. Are you nervous if you go in that you simply would possibly get hit or killed or one thing?

OS: The battle is terrifying. That is the battle the best way you see it within the films, all wars. I don’t go typically to the frontline, so I can’t say that I’m completely in peril. However occasionally, we do go, we have to ship assist, when the frontline was nearer to Kharkiv, as a result of large a part of the Kharkiv area was occupied. Effectively, I’m glad the logistics is tougher now, as a result of it implies that the frontline is farther from Kharkiv!

CG: What would you like Alaskans to find out about both this battle or the work that you simply’re doing? As you search for extra assist on this challenge, what are you telling of us?

OS: I’m assembly lots of people right here who say, once they meet me and we discuss, and so they discover out extra, they ask, “We need to assist, however we don’t know tips on how to assist.” And lots of people are reluctant simply to ship cash to, let’s say, Ukraine. You by no means know the place this cash would go to. You don’t get the suggestions. And it’s at all times extra satisfying to know with whom you’re working. And I’m right here, not a lot to ask for extra assist, however to say thanks and type of report back to them and inform them what’s occurring how we used their cash, whom we helped, which lives we saved.