Former MLA Thomas Lukaszuk says two volunteers in Ukraine helping to deliver donations from Alberta were killed during their trip on Friday, April 29, 2022. Photo by Twitter
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Former MLA Thomas Lukaszuk says two volunteers in Ukraine helping to deliver donations from Alberta were killed during their trip this week.
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Lukaszuk, along with former Prime Minister Ed Stelmach, are helping raise funds and purchase aid supplies for Ukrainians amid Russia’s invasion of their country. He wrote on social media on Saturday that two drivers, believed to be Polish and Ukrainian nationals, were killed trying to deliver supplies near Mariupol. The port city of Mariupol is almost entirely occupied by Russian forces, and many Ukrainian civilians have been trapped there in desperate conditions after many failed attempts to establish a humanitarian evacuation corridor. The city has come under heavy bombardment in recent days. Lukazuk said in an interview on Saturday that he had heard from a network of people helping to coordinate deliveries that drivers had been killed in a bomb attack. He said the deaths happened on Friday and learned of them on Friday night.
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“It’s a direct connection to us in Edmonton. “When we collected goods at the Polish Hall for two days and our volunteers put them in a warehouse, those were the boxes,” he said. “They were boxes that were packed here, carefully, that were stopped.” UPDATE: Ed Stelmach and I are saddened and angry to inform you that two drivers, believed to be Ukrainian and Polish nationals, were killed by Russians while delivering some of United For Ukraine supplies to Mariopol. They are heroes. #Ukraine #cdnpoli #abpoli pic.twitter.com/NutqUGxLtG – Thomas A. Lukaszuk (@LukaszukAB) April 30, 2022
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Lukaszuk said there are details he could not discuss publicly for the sake of the safety of Ukrainian volunteers, but they usually inform when supplies are delivered successfully, something that has happened so far. “Volunteers are heroes. They know what danger they face in making these deliveries. “They literally save lives by making these traditions.” So far, Lukaszuk and Stelmach have been able to arrange to fill a passenger plane with medical supplies and other equipment for Ukraine, and three full-size marine containers with goods have also been shipped to Europe from Canada. More will be on the way soon, but Lukaszuk said efforts are focused mainly on raising funds to buy supplies in Europe rather than sending them from here. “This will not slow down the effort on this side of the ocean,” he said. “I think volunteers on the other hand are much more determined to keep doing what they are doing.” UPDATE: Our “United for Ukraine” donations of medical equipment, dry food and sanitary ware were delivered by Ukrainian drivers today to Lutz, Zhitomir, Kryvy Rigg and the latter went to Kherson & Mariupol. More containers on the road. #Ukraine #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/l7sBckLSjE – Thomas A. Lukaszuk (@LukaszukAB) April 27, 2022
