MARCH UPDATE FROM UKRAINE
Friends of Ukraine,
To start with, I would like to express our gratitude for being with us. It’s been two years since CSUF was established by Dale Shumka in March 2022. We keep going and it would not be possible without you. I am sure Dale would be proud.
Let me tell you what has been done recently. Each of the items we have delivered to the soldiers is of great importance. Why?
We see a Starlink module in the photos below but it means so much more. It is about coordination with other units, receiving orders and warnings, being able to perform combat tasks, safety, being in touch with the family, and seeing the photos of the children who are waiting at home. It’s also about understanding that there are people who care about you and your life and they are eager to keep helping you. You can rely on those people. It’s about morale. And it’s the same with all the other items you will see in the thank you pictures below, received from the soldiers.
We have kept providing portable heaters that are used both in dugouts and houses where they are based:
With the help of our Australian friends, we bought a drone with a night vision feature and a set of batteries in January. It is a great achievement:
They have also helped us to buy a very powerful portable battery with a solar panel that is made in Ukraine and designed for military purposes:
This is a tablet we bought and it is used to coordinate the combat tasks of a mortar detachment near Kupiansk now:
You can see the thank you photos for the night vision devices below:
We’ve kept providing bullet proof helmets, belts, protective headphones, batteries, tools, spare parts and other equipment.
You have helped each of the men in the photos above, as well as many other heroes whose lives are tough at this time.
Each fate and each life is so important. I can tell you the stories of two heroes that are part of another ongoing project. As you may already know, we cover the cost of rehabilitation of some soldiers at Bodro Clinic.
Volodia is 24 years old. He had to start working early, right after school because he had to support his younger sisters. Since 2021, Volodia served in the reconnaissance battalion of the marines.
He was captured on April 9, 2022, and was exchanged on January 31, 2024. He was a prisoner for 21 months. These are some pictures made at the time of the exchange:
The torture Volodia went through caused a number of chronic diseases and a severe psycho-emotional state. He completed the first course of recovery at a medical institution in the city of Dnipro and he’s currently staying at the Bodro clinic. He was not broken. He did not lose his faith and morale. He’s eager to continue defending Ukraine and he sees his future in the military. It was a very special honor to meet him, as well as Yan (on the right in the photo below).
Yan was in captivity and he was exchanged on the same day, on January 31, 2024. However, it’s shocking to know that he was captured on the very 1st day of the war and he spent 2 horrible years in Russia.
Yan is 27. His civil profession is a teacher of computer science and his military profession is a drone pilot.
However, it seems that his real vocation could be music. Here’s a song for you. We recorded it when we met for the 1st time:
Both Yan and Volodia are taking psychological and physical rehabilitation courses at the Bodro clinic right now. There’s still a lot to do, especially for Volodia. He will have an operation in the province center hospital next week and return to Bodro clinic to continue rehabilitation.
Thank you for helping them, and all other men. Thank you for being with us. There’s more to do.
Love from Ukraine.
Andriy