Blåljus i samverkan (Blue Lights in Cooperation) has arranged a foam nozzle and 5 evacuation tents that we promised to bring with us and deliver to Poltava, which is Kalmar's sister city. The equipment has been transferred to a local truck and is heading toward Poltava.

My volunteer partner and I borrow an older model Passat at the center and set course for Poltava, about 800 kilometers away, to be there for the official handover of the equipment. The roads are heavily worn, with large potholes sometimes several decimeters deep. We stop at a gas station to refuel when we notice that one of the front tires has a bulge and is about to burst. We pull out our tools and the spare tire, but we are missing a jack. The station staff is helpful and manages to find a jack for us. As a thank you, we give him a PowerUpUkraine t-shirt, and then we happily roll on.

In the evening at 10:30 PM, the air raid siren sounds across all of Poltava, and we head down to the shelter. After an hour and a half, the danger is over and we can breathe a sigh of relief. When we arrive at the rescue service the following morning, they have already set up one of the evacuation tents, and the foam nozzle is in place. We receive a warm welcome, and there is immense gratitude for all the help coming from Sweden. Poltava is located just 200 kilometers from the front line and is an important logistics hub, making it a target for Russian strikes. Double-tap attacks are not uncommon, where many rescue workers lose their lives while trying to save their fellow countrymen.

We also visit an underground workshop to which we previously sent tools. They are a group of volunteers who modify SUVs and pickup trucks into evacuation vehicles. In other words, vehicles meant to go to the front lines and transport wounded soldiers to safety for medical care. It is amazing to see how they use fairly simple means to reinforce the vehicles to better withstand bombs and shrapnel. They were even developing autonomous vehicles. I knew right away that I want to return here to deliver vehicles.

The journey back to the center went well, except for when the police pulled us over. They informed us that in Ukraine, you drive in the right-hand lane on the highway. But we knew that the right lane had such massive potholes that it was impossible to drive there, and we didn't have any more spare tires left. We didn't quite dare to tell them that, though. The police officer smiled a bit, and then we were allowed to drive on.

All of this work is only possible thanks to those of you who have donated equipment and money. We are so incredibly grateful for the contribution you are making.

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PowerUpUkraine/ Lars Johansson