Here Are 6 Unexpected Types of Aid Sent to Ukraine

Global outrage at the Russian invasion has brought aid to Ukraine from some rather unexpected places.

The war in Ukraine has banded together the international community like few other events in recent history, leading countries big and small to offer equipment, supplies, and professional expertise to Ukraine, both to help it militarily resist Russia's invasion and to help shield its civilians from the dangers of war.

This has led to some generous—and interesting—offers, from armored medical buses to captured (and refurbished) Russian tanks to training that will help clear the ground of deadly, unexploded munitions. Below, we’ve compiled six forms of unexpected aid offered to Ukraine that probably weren't on your bingo card.

Origin of aid: Cambodia

In January 2023, 15 Ukrainian de-miners traveled nearly 5,000 miles to Cambodia to learn de-mining techniques from some of the world's top experts. Decades of war in the 20th century left Cambodia littered with mines and unexploded munitions, including 270 million cluster bombs, with an estimated 80 million still scattered across the countryside; hidden munitions killed 1,000 people just between 2008 and 2022.

Mines and other munitions are believed to be a threat across 160,000 kilometers in Ukraine—or more than a quarter of the country. In addition to hosting Ukrainian de-miners to teach them new techniques, Cambodia plans to send its own de-mining team to Ukraine at a later date.

Origin of aid: Crowdfunding from Romanians

The Oleg Gubal armored hospital is a former Polish city bus modified into a rolling emergency room on wheels. Named after a Ukrainian relief worker killed in Russia's invasion, the bus is equipped with modern medical equipment and designed to provide services just behind the front line. The bus is armored with kevlar and a mesh screen across the driver's windshield.

Origin of aid: IKEA, United Nations

The Swedish furniture company IKEA is a global phenomenon, with stores in 62 countries, including Ukraine. IKEA has partnered with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to donate $9.7 million worth of furniture to Ukraine. In an April 2023 press release, the company states it has donated "50,000 home furnishing products to support people who have been forced to leave their homes and hometowns." That breaks down to 71,000 mattresses; 75,000 bed sheets; 86,000 blankets; 99,000 kitchen sets; and 205,000 pillows.

Origin of aid: Serhiy Prytula Foundation

Serhiy Prytula is a popular Ukrainian actor, comedian, and entertainer. His nonprofit organization, the Serhiy Prytula Foundation, has raised $108 million for the war effort so far, funding a dizzying number of weapons projects—an extraordinary move for a nonprofit.

Among those projects is the "Trophy" program, which has paid to refurbish captured Russian tanks, multiple launch rocket systems, recovery vehicles, and infantry fighting vehicles, turning the vehicles over to the Ukrainian military when complete. It has also purchased access to radar satellite data from a Finnish space company, and crowdfunded $13.2 million for the purchase of three Bayraktar TB-2 armed drones.

The foundation's greatest coup was the purchase of 101 ex-British Army armored vehicles, including 50 FV103 Spartan armored personnel carriers. The rest of the mix included Samaritan armored ambulances, Sultan command and control vehicles, Stormer armored vehicles, Shielder minelayers, and Samson armored recovery vehicles. The fundraising drive, known as "Got to Grab Them All," raised the required $5.5 million in just 9 hours.

Origin of aid: North Atlantic Fella Organization

The North Atlantic Fella Organization (NAFO), a worldwide group of Ukraine supporters on social media that fundraises for the country and fights pro-Russian disinformation online, has organized funding drives that have collected hundreds of thousands—if not millions—of dollars to support Ukrainian causes.

Imagine getting hit by a 203mm shell from the "Superbonker 9000" pic.twitter.com/P735FYPXxH

In August 2022, NAFO organized a donation drive to get a message written on the side of a tank. The result was the Superbonker 9000, a 2S7 Pion self-propelled howitzer. The phrase "Superbonker 9000" was written on the side of the 203-mm gun barrel, along with a painting of a wooden baseball bat with "NAFO Article 69" written on it. Superbonker 9000's current status is unknown, but it is likely still in service with the Ukrainian military.

Origin of aid: U.S. law enforcement

U.S. law enforcement agencies sent a lot of body armor to Ukraine. Police in Oak Harbor, Washington, Waynesville, North Carolina, Detroit, Michigan, and Greenfield, California, along with the Vermont State Police, University of Colorado Police, and others have all donated bullet-resistant vests, helmets, and other protective gear.

Bulletproof armor tends to break down over time and lose effectiveness; cynics will say this is a way for law enforcement agencies to get rid of older equipment while gaining free publicity and good will. But it's likely that at least some of this stuff is still useful to some extent for government, civilians, aid groups, and others that want protection without the bulk of military-grade equipment.

Kyle Mizokami is a writer on defense and security issues and has been at Popular Mechanics since 2015. If it involves explosions or projectiles, he's generally in favor of it. Kyle's articles have appeared at The Daily Beast, U.S. Naval Institute News, The Diplomat, Foreign Policy, Combat Aircraft Monthly, VICE News, and others. He lives in San Francisco.

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