Plymouth 'soldiers without guns' deliver aid to children's hospital hit by Russian missile strike

They are on their 11th mission

Two Plymouth aid volunteers who have dubbed themselves ‘soldiers without guns’ are delivering supplies to a Ukrainian children’s hospital which was hit by a Russian missile strike, an act which prompted an international outcry.

Andreas Evangelou and Maksym Litvinov left the city last weekend on their latest trip, taking medical supplies, veterinary equipment and food across Europe and into Ukraine.

Among their destinations is the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital in Kyiv, which was bombed earlier this year, and led to global condemnation. At the time, Mr Litvinov, who is originally from Kharkiv, said Vladimir Putin had ‘crossed a red line’ with the bombing.

Now a driver for Plymouth Citybus, Mr Litvinov is living and working in Plymouth but remains determined to help his compatriots through the aid missions.

Mr Litvinov’s brother received treatment at the children’s hospital when they were children, and so the latest trip is an intensely personal one.

Mr Evangelou, who had already carried out 10 trips before their latest mission, said: “We left on Sunday morning very early and we have a twin-axled caravan – a big one – fully loaded, and it’s the biggest caravan we have taken so far.

“We are heading towards Okhmatdyt children’s hospital. The missile strike on his hospital would have taken out a lot of equipment and it’s just the right thing for us to do, to go there with the dialysis machine that we have and some of the medical supplies.

“We also have nine defibrillators for front line medics. They’re not cheap but they are self-funded. It’s what we do.”

He continued: “We’ve also got 400kg of animal food, which has been donated from General Dogsbody in Hereford, and also because Edmund Shillabeer’s surgery closed we have a lot of his eqipment – half his surgery basically – which is going to an animal rescue and veterinary centre.

“We’ve also got winter clothes, and we also have a lot of food this time which is probably why we are overweight because we have probably 150-200kg of food for the frontline, plus tents, camping equipment and sleeping bags.

“We are working with a charity in Ukraine which means ‘charity of hope’ – they are one of the biggest charitable organisations in Ukraine and have been established for decades, long before the war.”

The pair were heading to Lviv and Kyiv as part of their trip, on top the 1,000-miles-plus just to reach the Poland-Ukraine border. He said he expected the children’s hospital to have been repaired since the bombing, but expected it would need supplies.

“The one thing that the Ukrainians are good at doing is repairing everything immediately,” he added. “I am sure that once I get to this hospital there will be no sign that it was bombed, because they don’t want to be reminded that Putin can damage things or be looking at it every day.

“I know that Maksym knew that hospital because his brother was treated there, and so it’s personal for him and it’s personal for me because we are brothers in arms – soldiers without guns – and we are connected. Our weapons are medical supplies and Pampers, they are the most dangerous things we have.”

Mr Litvinov said Citybus have allowed him the time away from work to deliver the supplies, and is determined to carry on.

He told The Herald : “When we came back last time I was already ready to go again – there is a fire inside me which gives me energy and I am blessed that I met Andy because we understand each other and work so well together. Our two cars are full of nappies and everything, and the caravan is stuffed with items.

“We have a lot of stuff for soldiers at the hospital, and we have stuff for animals. When Edmund closed his surgery I was driving to his surgery for a whole week just to collect things, fill up my car and unload them. It is urgently needed in Ukraine.”

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