Lithuanian Aviation Museum – Volunteer Experiences in Ukraine

Long -term connection

« Brave! Take it in your hands. Here is a fragment. Imagine the explosion of the rockets at a height of several hundred meters, such parts fall on the ground. And here the Russian car numbers. Next to the driver, » Martynas Kiseliauskas, Vice -President of the Old Dragons, woke up in a dummy with camouflage uniforms. – We undressed clothes from Rus and released it as it stands. We did nothing else. Ukrainians do the same. Contrary to the Russians who are tortured by the Ukrainians, they mock them. ”

Balistic missile fragments, drone, car numbers with Russian flag and occupier uniform with medals on his chest – several items that volunteer Martynas brought to Lithuania and spread on Saturday afternoon at the Lithuanian Aviation Museum on the table. The support that, together with the International Support and Charity Foundation « Old Dragons », has taken him to the fighting Ukraine, would not fit in either the museum itself or in the area around it.

« We are working briefly about us. We are working to keep us from repeating what we have already experienced. Volunteers from Lithuania then established contacts with the Ukrainians, organized training and transported parcels for them.

Photo by Regimantas Zakšensk

Acted without thinking

Everything changed in 2022, when the Russians began military action against the peaceful Ukrainian people.

« On February 24, we received a call from friends that they were attacking them. After focusing on the troops to repel the enemy, they simply had no chance to evacuate civilians. The most help needed to evacuate children from the orphanage, » Kiseliauskas and other members reacted promptly.

They did not stop the language of the surroundings, saying that people, especially children, are difficult and dangerous.

« At least we will try. When no one is trying, nobody does. We will stay alive – well. We will not stay – it means that fate. We started everything, » Kiseliauskas recalled.

In half a year, volunteers evacuated nearly 100,000. people from the hottest places of Ukraine. About a third of them were children.

We work to prevent what we have already experienced.

« You come to the orphanage, and you are no longer. You don’t know what you will find when you have dug the ruins. We are lucky. We all found alive. We didn’t have a task of death. We didn’t hurt ourselves. In the trenches, they can’t get tired, so we do what we do. ”

Martyn did not hide that the war that for more than three years is suffering from everyone, but the soldiers are motivated by dead friends, home parents and families. What motivates « old dragons » volunteers?

The feeling that you are needed to help.

« We are trying to Ukraine, for Europe. For all of us, » Kiseliauskas called for indifferent.

Photo by Regimantas Zakšensk

Organizes shares

Since 2022, as volunteers say, not only the world has changed, but their own lives have changed. They spend far less time in their homes than in Ukraine. Before buying a thing, you think about whether it really needs it and often changes their opinion. For the third year, Martynas has been actively organizing and carrying out support to Ukraine with his fellow -minded people, bringing together various campaigns to bring together the public. In 2023 the people of Lithuania were invited to not throw out the old car pharmacies, but to sacrifice them to the Ukrainian people. According to Martynas, the whole Lithuania joined the campaign « Million of Pharmacies for Ukraine », so the organizers did not count the pharmacies in tones rather than units.

Last year, « Old Dragons » ended with a beautiful festive initiative « The Christmas smile on the face of the child, the old man, the warrior ». The creators invited to carry candy, toys, books, gloves, socks, drawing tools and other details that would delight the most vulnerable Ukrainian people – the elders and children. Some of the gifts with wish went to Slovianskas, and from there they were taken around the surrounding areas such as Lyman, Izium, Sviatohirskas, Kramatorsk. Cars have also been transported to a war -terrifying country. According to Vice President of the Old Dragons, at the beginning of the war, and all -wheel -drive, diesel SUVs, pickups that can cross poor roads, drive where there are no roads at all are still very needed. There are no such vehicles in Lithuania, and often they are simply standing in unused yards and garages.