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| Photo shows sticker depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin as Adolf Hitler on a repaired pickup truck outside an auto repairing shop in Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on December 30, 2022. – An auto garage in Kyiv is giving beat-up cars a second life as battle-ready vehicles for Ukraine’s military, trying to plug a supply gap as the war with Russia grinds on.(Photo by Sergei SUPINSKY / AFP) |
As the conflict with Russia drags on, a car shop in Kyiv is giving old vehicles a second chance as combat-ready vehicles for the Ukrainian military.
Prior to the Russian invasion in February, the shop's focus was on collision repairs, but that changed when volunteers inquired about prepping vehicles to be sent to the front.
Now, its mechanics put in long days maintaining pickup trucks and buses that the military has ordered for functions such as shipping weapons and surveillance drones.
“We are not a wealthy country, and the state cannot provide all our soldiers with armoured four-wheel-drive vehicles, so pickups are a compromise,” Anton Senenko, one of the volunteers coordinating the effort, told AFP.
The repair work can make the difference between life and death for soldiers operating in eastern Ukraine, where fighting is currently concentrated, he said.
“Very often, there are breakdowns with cars in peacetime. But in wartime, such a breakdown can lead to a tragedy,” he said.
“The car won’t start, and that’s it – the soldiers can no longer escape from the enemy tank.”
The vehicles are donated or purchased by fundraising Ukrainian volunteers, who often import them from neighbouring countries, including Poland, Latvia and Estonia.
Cars in combat
So far, nearly 50 vehicles have been sent to the eastern front – pickups, jeeps and a few buses, Senenko said.
The feedback from soldiers has been positive, said Vlad Samoilenko, who works with Senenko to coordinate the project.
“When you see that cars last in the field for months, it really warms the soul. It also inspires us,” Samoilenko said.
Senenko added: “We are very pleased when the fighters themselves write to us and say that the car has already travelled 15,000 kilometres without a single breakdown.”