News channels this weekend showed Ukraine forces heading to reinforce the rail hub in Lyman in the Donetsk region, just hours after Putin had declared the area was Russia’s ‘for ever.’
In a ceremony last Friday, Vladimir Putin announced the province’s annexation, together with the territories of Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
Yet just hours later on Saturday Ukrainian troops were seen to liberate the key eastern city of Lyman, with videos showing them raising a blue and yellow national flag and performing a victory dance.
Something that wasn’t so obvious in the various videos shown all over the world was the importance of the aid donations the Ukrainian people had received which has played a huge part in helping them continue living their lives whilst the war goes on around them.
With images beamed all over the world, Swindonians who have donated to the Swindon Humanitarian Aid Partnership should be proud of their effort in this war with boxes and boxes of aid donated to and packaged by the Swindon Humanitarian Aid Partnership had made its way to locals living in the areas which have now become the front line.
Chair of the partnership Mike Bowden said “Of course it is not a competition and it really does not matter whose aid reaches Lyman, just so long as some does.”
“But, I do think we are entitled – as a town – to step back for a minute and feel proud that the aid effort in Swindon has made such an obvious and tangible difference to the people of war torn, and now liberated, Lyman.”
South Swindon MP Robert Buckland echoed Mr Bowden’s words saying that seeing the work make a difference is “so inspiring and a great way to promote the appeal.”
Heidi Alexander, Labour’s candidate for South Swindon in the next general election agreed saying “The work of the Swindon Humanitarian Aid Partnership in getting aid into towns like Lyman is inspirational.
“The generosity of the people in Swindon is directly helping Ukrainians in areas besieged by war – credit must go to the team at Swindon Humanitarian Aid Partnership who have enabled this relief effort and provided a way for people in Swindon to stand in solidarity with a country torn apart by war.”
