‘My voluntary work has helped me’: East Londoner delivering supplies to Ukrainian frontline eight months on

A Ukrainian expat from east London who is delivering supplies to the frontline in Ukraine has said that his voluntary work has helped him get through the last eight months, since the Russian invasion.

Mykhailo Kharkovoi, a furniture manufacturer from Canary Wharf, helped supply the Ukrainian army with helmets, armour and protective gear when the fighting began.

Now he has shifted his efforts into delivering medical supplies and aid for displaced Ukrainians within the country.

6,306 Ukrainian civilians have been killed since the war started on February 24, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

While over 13.7 million refugees have fled their homes since the fighting began.

And now 30% of Ukraine’s power plants have been destroyed causing mass blackouts in a new wave of attacks across the country, which started on October 10.

At the start of the war Kharkovoi procured military supplies directly from army bases in Cardiff and Folkestone and sent them over to his country.

Now he has set up an official charity “You are not alone,” based in his home city of Zaporizhzhia, in southeast Ukraine, which works with hospitals and refugee shelters.

“Before we concentrated on helping the army, now we’re sending humanitarian aid and ambulances,” the 33-year-old told LondonWorld.

“We have sent around 100 ambulances to Ukraine in the last three months.

“We’ve also been sending old NHS hospital beds.

“There are lots of refugees still in Ukraine at the moment and we’re helping the shelters a lot.

“We work with a few food banks within the UK and we send over a lorry with food, clothes etc to Ukraine.”

Support has declined

Kharkovoi has admitted that support has declined since the beginning of the war back in February but he has still found companies and donors to help support his cause.

“First of all people start to forget about things, now people are a bit tired of this bad news,” he explained.

“Secondly with this cost of living crisis people have their own problems.

“There is less support from the public but despite that we have found a lot of companies and certain people who help a lot.”

Kharkovoi has managed to source a glove manufacturer to supply protective gloves for firefighters in his city.

“They are attacking blocks of flats and houses in Zaporizhzhia,” he said.

“When the firefighters are trying to clear away the rubble and rocks they need special gloves to complete the job.

“We found a company that gave us a good price on special gloves and we are sending those.”

Family at home

Kharkovoi has been living in London for the last ten years, but most of his family are still in Ukraine.

His mother came to stay with him for a few months at the beginning of the war but has since returned home.

“In my home city everything is happening 50 to 100 metres in front of you.

“My family have been lucky not to have been hit by one of these missiles, but they can hear and see everything.

“Of course everybody is terrified.

“My family has helped me a lot with my humanitarian help.”

Voluntary work has helped

Kharkovoi has had a lot to juggle over the last eight months, keeping his furniture business in Canary Wharf running, while also organising this mass humanitarian effort.

But he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“My voluntary work has helped me get through the last eight months, otherwise I would be totally frustrated,” he said.

“When you do something, you can see the results that gives you the initiative to continue what you’re doing.

“I went with my family to Cornwall for two days this summer and I felt really upset because I was doing nothing.

“I told my wife that I needed to go back home as when you’re doing nothing it’s really hard to watch all of this news.”

As winter approaches, Kharkovoi admits he is worried for people living in temporary shelters.

“Winter is going to be a huge problem in Ukraine, people are trying to be prepared.

“People will need plenty of warm clothes, especially those staying in shelters.”

You can help support Mykhailo’s work by donating to his charity.