Russian attack Four fully packed cars set off for Poland, and the ride is now wondering what’s going on at the destination – HS set off according to an ambitious volunteer relief operation

City|The Russian attack

“This is a bit like neighborly help, ”joensuuainen Kuutti Korhonen describes Tallinn on a ship. Korhonen is one of eight men who left Helsinki early in Poland in vans for Tuesday morning.

Paper windshields with “Operation Hope” are taped to the car windshields. Operation Toivo is a private aid team that started last weekend. It was born from the idea of ​​an Espoo couple to collect one car’s supply of supplies with their neighbors and drive them to Poland for those in need.

The group, founded on Facebook, gathered more than 10,000 people less than a day over the weekend, and drivers registered from all over Finland.

The purpose of the group is to take supplies to Ukrainians who have fled their homes and seek them for safety in Finland.

HS follows Operation I hope to travel to Poland and back to Finland on the spot.

Read more: Radius Westerlund wanted to help Ukrainians – Espoo operation quickly got out of hand

Korhonen decided to go on a helping trip with his friends. The group includes people from Jyväskylä Perttu Piironen, Contiolahti resident Tero Savolainen and from Heinävesi Juhani Savolainen.

“I am an entrepreneur and the family was flexible, so I had the opportunity to leave. Gathered a gang over the weekend who has cars and a chance to leave. There would have been more departures, but not everyone had valid passports, ”says Tero Savolainen.

According to Savolainen, the situation in Ukraine was close. The need was to do something and not just lie on the couch reading the news.

“The 20-year-old said that he should be proud of his father for once,” Savolainen laughs.

The outgoing vans are packed with extremely donated goods. Hygiene items, children’s clothing, winter clothes and groceries were included.

Espoo resident Sami Pollari has organized the trip from the beginning together with his friends Radius of Westerlund and Juha Kråkbackan with.

On Tuesday’s car, Pollari’s phone rings at a fast pace. The group’s trip garners huge media attention and interview requests. At the same time, Pollari, along with other organizers, agrees on the details of the trip.

Much is still open when the journey The towing car curves in the early afternoon along the Via Baltica.

Organizing a trip requires organizing a wild amount. On the road, for example, it will be clarified whether all asylum seekers must have a valid passport. The situation lives on the road all the time.

At the same time, at the end of Espoo and Helsinki, the team members coordinate transport for those who need help and the right contact information. Consultation assistance has been sought from embassies, the Finnish Immigration Service and the police.

The purpose is to bring to Finland primarily persons who have, for example, acquaintances or relatives in the country. In the direction of Poland, cars are exported with supplies, the need for which has been coordinated in advance with the Warsaw parish.

Group is not the only one that has stopped taking concrete steps to help Ukrainians fleeing their homes. Among other things Evening News has reported on two women who left last week to pick up people at the Ukrainian-Polish border.

“Now this help is geographically possible,” says the person who left for Vantaa Jussi Vehniäinen.

He packed the car full of his friend from Helsinki Miska Salmisen with. Goods were collected from neighbors and the car filled up quickly. According to the men, the situation of children is especially on the minds before going on a trip.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about children, and what they’ve had to do with everything here,” says Vehniäinen.

What is facing the situation in Warsaw and the reception centers is in the minds of travelers.

Poland has received an estimated 350,000 people from Ukraine since Russia invaded the country, Polish Deputy Interior Minister Maciej Wąsik said on Tuesday. In the last day, 100,000 people have crossed the border.

It is impossible to get exact figures on how many people have been left in Poland without any roof over their heads.

Discourse doubts about the assistance trips of private individuals have also been raised. For example, the Finnish Red Cross has hoped that people will help by donating money to organizations that will help the sites later as needed.

“We’re not supposed to step on the toes of big organizations,” Pollari says.

According to Pollari, the reason for the trip is that there was a desire to do something fast now before the bigger organizations are still organizing.

“The intention is not for all individuals to leave their own cars on the spot now, but to do it in an organized way and together.”

While the trip went well on Tuesday, there are also concerns in the air. Sometimes there are reports that aid cars have been attacked in Poland. A joint message group from the car lodge is considering whether the safety of cars could be increased by putting soft toys on a test board.

The car group is scheduled to drive to the Polish side near Warsaw on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the cars are to be emptied of supplies and return to Finland for the evening.