A doctor who travelled to Ukraine to distribute medical supplies says that, while people remain "stoic", many are suffering "much trauma" from the ongoing war.
Andriy Boyko, who lives in Port Macquarie on the NSW Mid North Coast, grew up in Ukraine and as he watched Russian troops invade his birth country he felt compelled to help.
As many of his family and friends were forced to flee from their homes in Kyiv, he launched a fundraising campaign to buy medications and medical equipment.
On the Ukrainian-Polish border, he oversaw the procurement and delivery of medical supplies to trauma hospitals and aid organisations.
"We were able to source just over three tonnes of medical equipment and medications and so my trip mainly involved picking up the supplies and distributing that to my contacts in Ukraine," he said.
"In particular we went to a city called Dnipro, which is central Ukraine and a hub for things going in and out of the front line, to refugees and people involved in the conflict."
Dr Boyko said the situation in the war-torn country was surreal.
"On the facade of things, you know there's a war going on, you are driving through checkpoints and seeing a lot of people in military uniforms … however if you just sit and have a cup of coffee, it's actually life as normal until you hear an air raid siren," he said.
"My driver, on the day before I left Ukraine, his house got destroyed.
"The only reason his mum and dad survived is that they were at a doctor's appointment … and this was a house nowhere near any military targets."
Dr Boyko was also able to catch up with some of his relatives, who were forced to flee their homes when the conflict began.
"They have all moved home now and they live in an area of uncertainty where they just don't know what will be happening in a month or a week," he said.
"But they have a sense of resolve, a feeling that 'this is home, and we are going home', so that's what they did."
Driven to help
Dr Boyko grew up in Kyiv before emigrating to New Zealand with his family at the age of 11 and later moved to Australia.
He embarked on a crowdfunding mission in late February to raise money for medical and humanitarian supplies.
His father is also doing some fundraising work in New Zealand.
"In total, we have raised more than $150,000," Dr Boyko said.
"We have had two shipments arrive in Ukraine and our next one is due next month, which is about 15 tonnes of canned produce, and then we will review what our next goal will be."
Further help planned
Dr Boyko said he used the trip to firm up some of his contacts on the ground in Ukraine and met with refugee organisations to determine the best way to offer further support.
"One of the issues there at the moment is food shortages," he said.
"Crops haven't been able to be harvested and the Russian invasion has caused a lot of the food storage to be destroyed.
"So we are equipping that team with an ambulance and medical equipment and medications to make that a viable process."
Dr Boyko, who has returned home to his wife and young daughter, said it would be a while before he returned to Ukraine.
"We have a little baby due, so I will be quite busy working from home, but my dad will be making a few trips, with one coming up in July," he said.
"We just want to thank everyone who has supported us so far and people can still offer support."
