“We are not letting Ukraine down, we are continuing,” slips the general secretary of International volunteering in Cotentin orange vest on the back. Ukraine was the association's very first mission in 2022, with the reception of refugees. “We have eleven boxes in total: that must represent approximately 3 m3. Compression dressings, sterile compresses, wet dressings… usable immediately, in ambulances” adds the Manchoise woman. Recovered via several sources, this material is intended for Ukrainian soldiers who are fighting on the front against the Russian army.
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These boxes were collected this Thursday. They must be delivered to the surroundings of the capital kyiv, via a humanitarian convoy organized by the American-Ukrainian association Ukraine Focus. The latter buys “reformed” ambulances, which have 450 to 500,000 km on the clock, and rehabilitates them to help the Ukrainian army. After this eleventh convoy, 250 vehicles will have been sent in total. These ambulances are vital for Volodymyr Zelensky's army: on average, they have a lifespan of two months on the front; but during this period, they save up to 250 lives.
Ambulances systematically targeted by the Russians
But these devices are increasingly being targeted by the Russians, via drones and missiles. “For the past month, the Russians have been stepping up their efforts, with the prospect of a new president [des Etats-Unis]. And since the inauguration will take place on January 20, I think they want to take advantage of this time to advance their pawns. Two important things: the Russians systematically hit ambulances. Air alerts are day and night. And with the intensification of the fighting, we are closer to a lifespan of two weeks than of two months today for an ambulance on the front.”confides Franck Pieciak, originally from L'Aigle in Orne and driver member of Ukraine Focus.
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The fierce fighting and the international context worry Françoise Burnel. “There is an attachment to the people we brought back: we say to ourselves that all these people who were welcomed in Cherbourg are perhaps under bombs today. We have contact with the family we housed: their village is completely destroyed. I've seen photos, it's sad. And then, what will be the support of the United States with the election of Trump? We don't know. What will happen in the next two months? That's the big question. I'm worried”summarizes the member of Bénévolat international du Cotentin.
This Thursday, the Ukrainian president recalled that “any concession to Vladimir Putin would be suicidal for Europe”. A few hours earlier, Moscow ordered the West to negotiate under penalty of “destroy the Ukrainian population.”
