Delivery of material assistance to Ukraine continues
During Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Finland has actively delivered civilian material assistance to Ukraine. A total of 76 vehicles and 311 truckloads of aid have been donated from Finland. The collection and delivery of material assistance to Ukraine continues.
During March and April, Finland delivered 13 truckloads of civilian material assistance to Ukraine. The deliveries included healthcare supplies such as hospital beds, medical ovens and assistive devices as well as energy sector supplies including transformers, cables and gas pipelines. In addition, school furniture, such as tables and chairs, has been delivered to Ukraine.
Civilian material assistance plays a key role in maintaining the resilience of the Ukrainian society and the operational capacity of the authorities. Russia systematically destroys Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, and there is a great need for energy sector aid, in particular. Moreover, donations related to the protection and repair of critical infrastructure and securing the capacity of rescue services, civil defence and healthcare are needed. There is also a great need for different kinds of vehicles in Ukraine.
“Preparations for several aid packages to Ukraine are under way and, during this spring, we will send more healthcare materials, vehicles for rescue services and assistance for the energy sector, which Ukraine badly needs after the recent attacks,” says Heikki Honkanen, Specialist at the Ministry of the Interior.
Finland is Europe’s third most active provider of civilian material assistance
Through the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism, European countries have made more than 3,400 offers of assistance to Ukraine. Finland has been the third most active country, with close to 300 offers of assistance.
Measuring the monetary value of material assistance is not easy, because the donations are reported only at their depreciated value, which is usually a fraction of the replacement value of similar material. Indeed, the most important indicator of civilian material assistance is its use value. Material assistance quickly fills Ukraine’s acute needs arising from the war to secure the functioning of society.
Inquiries: Heikki Honkanen, Specialist, Ministry of the Interior, tel. +358 295 488 565, [email protected]