This was our 16th Trip of the support effort and our longest at about a month. We supported air defense, tactical medicine, drones, de-mining and other projects. We were there for the US elections, the introduction of North Korean forces to the Kursk region, and also present to commemorate the 1,000th day of war. 

We purchased needed supplies for Kyiv’s air defense. The number of drone attacks has increased approx. 10x fold since the start of the war and our TDF units need to equip additional patrols to repel these assaults.

We visited the drone school where we are working together on special projects. Drones are a force multiplier in this fight and are indispensable to modern warfare.

We facilitated de-mining and testing tactics, techniques, and procedures to reduce UXOs (unexploded ordnance) and will be procuring additional metal detectors for a new separate assault brigade which currently has none.

We visited 53rd Brigade to deliver medical supplies and build IFAKs. We heard about their amazing work from their Medical Chief, Rebekah Maciorowski, and also what medical equipment would be most useful. (If you work in medicine or would like to donate supplies to forward stabilization points, then please reach out)

We also donated blood while in country because the guys at the frontline always need it! And lastly, we linked up with our friends and partners from Shield of Freedom who are also doing incredible work in Ukraine.

If you would like to support our next mission in January, you can donate here. Donations are needed now more than ever to keep Ukraine in the fight because everyday they sacrifice for the freedom of Europe and to determine their own destiny.

If you would like to volunteer, please visit our page. Thanks for your support!

This was our 13th trip of the support mission and continued to build on past efforts working with Territorial Defense Forces, as well as Ukraine’s elite direct-action units. We were fortunate on this trip to touch base with an FPV drone operator school, named Dragon Sky, which requested some high-tech equipment to support their operations and increase survivability in the field. They have been great partners and readily provide actionable feedback and progress updates on the equipment received. We look forward to seeing where else we can assist with their technology needs and enhance their efforts!

We also launched a special project for one of our members, who said goodbye recently to his longtime canine friend Mako. We visited Odesa to meet with the 126th TDF Canine Training Academy to tour their operations, training military working dogs, and learn how a gift could help shape and expand their cynology operations. It was extremely impressive meeting the canines helping units at the frontline avoid land mines and other explosive dangers. Dogs also are being found to have great sensory awareness for a number of other threats! We look forward to assisting with procuring protective gear for our new partners and helping them expand their operations and infrastructure and get some of their graduates out to our TDF units!

If you would like to support our next mission in June, you can donate here.

If you would like to volunteer, please visit our page. Thanks for your support!

This was our 11th trip for Ukraine Torch and saw four individuals traveling to Ukraine bringing supplies and training. Collectively, we brought over $30K of supplies this trip, including medical supplies & training, power generation, cold weather clothing, drones and mine removal/clearance. 

Medical Training – This trip centered around providing combat medical training (known as “Tactical Combat Casualty Care” or TCCC in military medicine). Initially, we planned to train with one of the Territorial Defense Brigades but when we arrived we were also asked to deliver training to a series of Civil Defense classes as well, which included some highly engaged/energized participants! Our USN Corpsman did an outstanding job providing life-saving medical instruction and simulated training.

Reconstruction Assistance – We also checked in on the progress of our reconstruction efforts in Chernihiv Oblast where our Navy friend has been working with a partnered organization, Repair Together, to rebuild homes in Ukrainian villages. Their passion is infectious as they know their labors will put a roof over several families’ heads this winter to stay warm!  

Partnership Building – We’ve also begun identifying where it makes sense to partner with other organizations to expand our capacity or leverage economies of scale for purchasing supplies or getting them to their final destination. We’ve now worked with Shield of Freedom in San Diego, Traveling Colonels (Washington DC) and others. The Colonels were gracious enough to build 40x IFAKs for use in our medical training program and we in turn brought them replacement supplies from the US.

Finally, we are excited to announce that we are now an officially recognized 501(c)(3)! This is an important step to scaling up the goodwill of our nation to confront the challenges facing Ukraine. Every contribution helps to save a life, provide early warning/detection or keeps a trooper equipped/protected in the trenches.

If you would like to support our next mission in January, you can donate here.

If you would like to volunteer, please visit our page. Thanks for your support!

The following is a brief overview of the support trips taken to date over the previous 18 months of the Russo-Ukraine war.