Although supporting our soldiers with words means a lot, doing good deeds for them carries even greater weight. A young man named Ivan Afanasiyovych Gaidarli, who lives in San Francisco, wanted to serve the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Together with his friends, he organized regular deliveries of parcels to Ukraine for the needs of the army. Our correspondent Myroslav Hrekh interviewed him.
Miroslav (hereinafter M): Ivan, tell us about yourself.
Ivan (hereinafter I): I am 28 years old, I work as a programmer in the IT sector at GAP, I am originally from Odessa, I have been in America for 5 years, and all my relatives — my father, mother, and sister — currently live in Ukraine, in Odessa.
M.: Who got you involved in volunteer work? What kind of contacts do you have with the Ukrainian diaspora?
I.: It all happened spontaneously. I needed to send a few bags to some friends who were going to the front. I was looking for a way to do that. I went online, found a Facebook group where people post, and looked to see if they knew anyone flying to Europe, to Poland, who could deliver certain items to Ukraine: uniforms, medicines, other first aid supplies. There I saw that there were quite a few people who also wanted to send medicines, uniforms, and protective equipment. I saw the problem—it was unclear how to deliver all this to Ukraine, because planes weren't flying and ships weren't sailing. It turned out that delivery by mail could take 3 to 4 weeks, and it would be very expensive, with FedEx delivery costing around $1,000 per bag. I realized that I had to optimize all this somehow. I noticed that people who had some kind of aid and wanted to send it from California or other states rarely communicated with each other, looking for someone who was flying somewhere. So I started looking for people who were flying. And we started doing this: if there is a person who is flying, whom we figuratively call a “Lituny,” they can take the maximum number of suitcases allowed by the airlines.
M.: I see. You mainly look for the people you need on the internet.
I.: Yes. We search mostly on Facebook. When I sent my bags this way, there was nothing left to send. Then, together with my friends, I started helping other people do the same. We started looking for senders and “Lituny.” I realized that everything had to be organized.
M.: What was in your first bags?
I.: Medical kits and protective equipment—knee pads, uniforms. That's what we send the most.
M.: Did you send bulletproof vests?
I.: We sent a few bulletproof vests, but not many.
M.: How did you get in touch with Hromada?
I.: It all started when Yarema Kuzyushyn found someone flying who could take my bags. Then I continued working with Hromada. They give us letters of recommendation stating that it is humanitarian aid when we talk to airlines so that they give us a discount on all the suitcases. And that helps us a lot. We have already made 10 deliveries and transported about 230 suitcases. If we consider that the average weight of one suitcase is 25 kg, then we have already sent about 6 tons of cargo.
M.: When did you start doing this? Since the beginning of the war, or later?
I.: Our first shipment took place on March 28 or 29. It turns out that we delivered these 6 tons of cargo in about 2 months. Of these 10 deliveries, the largest was 50 suitcases. They were carried by a girl who was flying to Warsaw. Her name is Olga Ponomarenko. Here in California, some people send parcels to their relatives, some to their friends who work in hospitals, some to their loved ones who are fighting, and many send first aid kits to conscripts. We collect all the suitcases in one place, after asking people to give us a list of the items being sent. Then we check them in detail to make sure that the list matches the contents and that there are no prohibited items. Then we compile a single list. We also mark the suitcases with numbers and compile a list of suitcase numbers and the items inside.
M.: You say “we.” Besides you, who else is involved in this? Is there a headquarters?
I.: We don't have a headquarters as such. My apartment, where we pack the suitcases, serves as our headquarters. When I say “we,” I mean that I mainly pack the suitcases and make the list, and the guys help me take them to the airport, because there can be a lot of them and we need several cars to transport them.
M.: Do you have many helpers? Can you name them?
I.: First and foremost, there's Yarema Kuzyishin, Serhiy Gubenko, Andriy Gubenko, Serhiy Lobov, Andriy Mosov, Roman Fly, Olga Romanenko, Oleksandr Golovaty, Yuriy Sokolov, and Galina Kryloshanska.
M.: And how many “Lituny” have you had during this time?
I.: Here are their names: Marta Kaplun, Dmytro Sorich, Oleg Zenzin, Zhanna Romanenko, Olga Ponomarenko, Volodymyr Matviishyn, Tetiana Khotyantseva, Yevheniia Arsirova, Viktor and Lilia Melnychuk, Nataliia Bankova, and a number of others, it's just hard to remember them all right now.
M.: Tell us about the delivery chain, because it's not easy to do these days.
I.: The “Lituny” mainly fly to Warsaw, where there are many Ukrainian volunteers. For example, we happened to meet a guy who lived in New York and flew to Warsaw at the beginning of the war, bought a van, and now picks up our suitcases from the airport. Humanitarian supplies are sent to Warsaw from many states in America. For example, the Ukrainian community in Chicago sends almost 100 bags every week with all the necessary protective equipment, medicine, and so on. So there is a need for such volunteers, and there are such people at the airport. This guy's name is Roman Fly. He helps us the most, picking up our suitcases in Warsaw. Then we look for a way to deliver them to Ukraine. Most often, we hire a driver who has a vehicle—a minibus—and who comes, picks up the suitcases from Roman, and takes them to Ukraine.
M.: And then what?
I.: In Lviv, we deliver the cargo to Olga Ponomarenko (we already mentioned her). She lived in California for a long time, but when the war started, she went to Lviv, rented an apartment, and set up a kind of collection point for deliveries there. She currently has 60 suitcases. Then, those who sent the suitcases from California let their relatives or friends in Ukraine know, who pick up the parcels from Olga and deliver them where they are needed—to the front, to medical units, etc. If the senders do not have anyone to meet them in Lviv, we deliver their parcels by Nova Poshta to the specified address. This chain of deliveries works in almost all communities in all states. The main thing is that we Ukrainians unite and work together to deliver even more cargo. Airlines are very supportive of us. Often, when we show them a letter from Hromada stating that it is humanitarian aid, they give us discounts or sometimes even take it for free.
M.: Which airlines specifically?
I.: We work with Lufthansa, Air France, United, and Lot employees help us the most. This is because there are direct flights from Chicago and New York to Warsaw. Lot has never refused us. They often give discounts, for example, when they charge $100 or $200 for extra weight. When we say that it is humanitarian aid and show them the letter and all the prepared documents, they give us a discount and charge half the price.
M.: From which ports do you ship?
I.: Our group ships cargo from San Francisco. Other volunteer groups ship from New York, Florida, Texas, Chicago, and almost every major airport in the US sends something to Ukraine. We just need more people to know about this and get organized. Because if one person is flying and you send one or several bags with them, it will be ineffective. I am sure that there are Ukrainians in every city who want to send something, and we just need to find people who would take more bags, and then more cargo will go through.
M.: In Poland, is Warsaw the only place that accepts shipments, or are there other cities?
I.: I know several people who have flown to Krakow and Wroclaw. Basically, everything goes through Warsaw because it has the largest airport.
M.: Are there any problems when shipments cross the Polish-Ukrainian border?
I.: Not really. Although now border guards and customs officers are bringing order to customs and asking for letters of guarantee for humanitarian items. If you have them, there are no problems with passage.
M.: For example, if I want to send some things to my friend on the front line, I pack a suitcase, make a list of items, give you my details, and bring the suitcase to you. You send my suitcase along with others through the airport to Warsaw. There, Roman receives it at the airport and hands it over to a volunteer who transports it across the border. Then my suitcase goes to Oksana in Lviv. My relative picks it up from her and passes it on to my friend at the front. Is that right?
I.: Basically, yes. If there is no one to receive the suitcase in Lviv, we send it to the recipient via Nova Poshta. It is also important to note that we have no funding for this activity. We pay for everything with our own money. For example, we collected 30 suitcases, sent them, and we all put our expenses together and pay for them. Then we divide the final amount by the number of suitcases and inform those who sent them about the cost of their shipment.
M.: For example, I sent two suitcases. You then calculate the cost and inform me that my shipment costs, say, $100 or $200, and I give you that amount.
I.: Correct. When we go to the airport, one of us pays, those who are driving. I then return the money to them.
M.: What do people mainly send to Ukraine? As far as I know, it is forbidden to send weapons.

I.: Yes, we send items that are permitted. Mostly first aid kits and helmets. We often send weapon mounts and specific items such as noise-canceling headphones for snipers, radios, tourniquets, binoculars, and drones that are not prohibited, i.e., civilian drones, because the front line really needs them. I will go through the list now. There is a lot of protective gear, knee pads, elbow pads, tactical backpacks, tactical footwear, and much more. Here are the names of the people who sent the most aid: Margarita Skrypachova, Anna Betina, Ilya Kamushkin, Marina Tsapok, Maxim Pavlyshin, Oleg Zenzin, Alexander Golovaty, Olga Kelly, Sergey Lobov.

Often, the “Lituny” who fly with our cargo buy their own tickets because they are flying for their own purposes, and we hitch a ride with them. There were times when we couldn't find a “flyer” and we chipped in for a ticket for someone. That is, we found a person who agreed to fly, bought them a ticket, and then divided all the costs among the senders. Of course, it is more efficient to find people who are flying for their own purposes, as this results in lower costs. However, both strategies are suitable. The main challenges are to bring together those who want to send something and those who are flying. That's why there's a Facebook group for people who are flying. That's what we're doing. And the more people who have this information, the more the volume of shipments will grow.

M.: Basically, you work as coordinators between those who want to send something and those who can do it, those who are flying. You said there's a Facebook group. What's it called?

I.: It's called “Who's Flying.” So go to Facebook and look for this group.

M.: Thank you, Ivan. You are doing a great job. Thank you from the diaspora, from the “Community,” and from all Ukrainians.

I.: I read an interview with a volunteer, Maria Berlinska, who said: “We don't have much choice — either we all get organized and become effective, or, unfortunately, we will be destroyed.” Therefore, I think that our only chance for salvation is to become more organized and work effectively, then we have a chance to win.

M.: Thank you again, Mr. Ivan, and all your assistants, for your noble work. I hope it will help Ukrainians win their just war.

Glory to Ukraine!

I.: Glory to the heroes!