Conversation with Dmytro Topchiy, co-founder of Liberty Ukraine Foundation

The full-scale invasion of 2022 became a moment that changed the lives of millions of Ukrainians — both those in Ukraine and those thousands of kilometers away from home. Along with the explosions in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Mariupol, the Ukrainians also awakened: people took to the streets, searched for tourniquets, contacted relatives, and most importantly — tried to help.

For Tonya Levchuk and Dmytro Topchiy, this day was not a beginning, but rather a continuation of a volunteer path that started back in 2014 — with Crimea, the ATO, searching for hemostatic supplies, and small suitcases in which they sent the first medical aid.

— Dmytro, how did the idea of creating the foundation come about?

D.T.:

It wasn’t a spontaneous decision. Tonya and I had been helping since 2014, when military units in Crimea lacked even the basics. I looked for people who remained loyal to Ukraine and sent funds to those who were blockaded. At that time, Tonya was finding tactical medical supplies in the U.S. — things that barely existed in Ukraine — and sending them in suitcases through relatives.

After February 24, 2022, it became clear that the scale of disaster exceeded the capacity of local initiatives. American donors, Ukrainians in the U.S., and foreign companies were contacting us — everyone wanted to help, but an official nonprofit with a special tax status was required.

That’s when we understood: it was time to take responsibility. That’s how Liberty Ukraine Foundation appeared.

In less than four years, we have delivered nearly 20 million dollars’ worth of aid to Ukraine: drones, optics, vehicles, engineering equipment, medical kits and generators — everything that saves lives on the front line.

— How do you set your aid priorities?

D.T.:

We have one criterion — where it will save the most lives.

We work directly with unit commanders, without intermediaries. We know where FPV drones are needed, where drill-crane machines or pickup trucks are critically necessary, where equipment is idle because there’s no one to repair it.

Today, 95% of our work is military aid. The rest is humanitarian and rehabilitation projects.

Our main principle: everything “hand-to-hand.” We must be certain that the aid arrives exactly where it is needed — not in hours, but in minutes.

— What were the most difficult moments at the beginning of the full-scale invasion?

D.T.:

Logistics. It simply didn’t exist.

We transported cargo by airplane… in suitcases. 70, 100, sometimes more than 150 per flight. Our record — 156 suitcases with drones and medical kits from Newark to Warsaw.

Flight at night — Warsaw in the morning — Lviv the next day. Two days later — already at the positions. The military did not believe that aid from America could arrive faster than sometimes within Ukraine itself.

The second challenge — human resources.

The team worked 12 hours a day, without days off. We repaired equipment ourselves, reinforced armored vehicles, built FPV protection. There was no other way. If the equipment doesn’t go — someone at the front won’t return.

— How do you manage coordination between the U.S., Europe, and Ukraine?

D.T.:

We have teams in New York, Texas, Central America, Europe, Lviv, and Kharkiv.

All volunteers, not a single salary. Everyone manages their own direction.

We are united by one simple thought:

“Soldiers should think only about one thing — completing the mission and staying alive. Everything else is on us.”

— Does the foundation have a long-term vision?

D.T.:

We are not building a corporation. Our focus is the war and everything that helps win it.

But there are areas that will exist for decades — primarily psychological rehabilitation for children who lost their parents.

After the war, we want to help the Ukrainian army rise to NATO standards, and we will continue humanitarian programs.

— Tell us about the ‘Made in Ukraine’ project.

D.T.:

This is not just a humanitarian initiative — it’s an opportunity for Ukrainians to work while helping the front.

We support manufacturers who sew thermal clothing, adaptive wear for the wounded, and produce gear. Many of the workers are women who lost their husbands in the war. For them, work is both support and therapy.

Today the main focus is military aid, but the project’s logic is essential: by supporting the producer, we support the state.

— Who do you work with, and which projects are the most emotional?

D.T.:

In the U.S., we collaborated with the Prytula Foundation and Ukrainian bands during their tours: Okean Elzy, Druha Rika, The Hardkiss, TNMK, Bez Obmezhen, and others.

The most emotional project is the psychological camp for children of fallen soldiers.

We have held it six times already. It’s not just a vacation — it’s serious therapy.

When a nine-year-old says:

“It became easier for me to live,”

— you realize that every minute, every suitcase, every donation makes sense.

Tonia also runs sensitive projects: helping people returning from Russian captivity, supporting hospitals, and working with centers for families of the fallen.

And all this — without extra cameras, without PR.

— What are the main achievements and lessons?

D.T.:

First — the lives saved. That is the highest value.

Second — the team that has become a family.

And one lesson:

trust but verify, and always be ready to rely on yourself.

Because in war, the price of a mistake is a human life.

— How to contribute to the cause?

Very simple:

  1. Go to the website: libertyukraine.org
     
  2. Choose a direction — from drones to psychological camps
     
  3. Click “Donate”

     

Your donation becomes part of what saves lives every day.

Liberty Ukraine Foundation is a community of people who hold the rear as devotedly as the soldiers hold the front.