LAST month marked the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
David Pond, who lives in Kingsand, first travelled to Ukraine a week into the conflict, to assist in the effort to provide support and practical aid to refugees as they arrived at the Polish border.
In the three years since, David, former Commanding Officer of HMS Raleigh in Torpoint and CEO of GB Wheelchair Rugby, has made 16 humanitarian trips. Within Ukraine, he’s created a dynamic network of organisations and individuals to ensure that aid of the right sort reaches those who most need it. Back home on the Rame Peninsula, he’s orchestrated a campaign that so far has raised £190,000 to provide vital supplies and equipment to medics and civilians.
As the three year mark of the war approached – the 1095th day – David asked supporters to donate a penny for each of these days, or £10.95, to purchase tourniquets.
“I wanted to very simply do something positive to remember that first day of the invasion some 1095 days ago and all the innocent civilians and soldiers who have lost their lives.
“It costs around £35 to buy one emergency tourniquet. Each tourniquet stops a person bleeding to death and so £35 literally saves a life.
“If 300 people each donated, this would provide 93 tourniquets. It would feel like a positive way to approach the anniversary of an invasion that continues to bring so much human misery and which has so far resulted in 12,486 innocent Ukrainian civilians killed and 28,382 injured.”
In his most recent updates online, David has spoken of how Ukraine is now “defending itself blind” as access to satellite and intelligence data has been denied by the Trump administration.
“Russia is making the most of its advantage with massive overnight strikes. My colleagues in Ukraine have sent images of death and destruction which are too graphic and disturbing to share.”
Here, David reflects on his experiences over the past three years.
“It was deeply disturbing to return from my 16th humanitarian mission to Ukraine and to witness the humiliation of President Zelensky by President Trump and his deputy Vance in front of the world’s media. I have experienced at first hand the resilience and courage of the Ukrainian people, epitomised by their inspiring leader who fights for the very principles that are the bedrock of democracy, and which should matter to us all – freedom, self-determination, sovereignty.
My own relationship with Ukraine began a week after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
I arrived at the railway station in Pzremyl on the Polish border which quickly became a hub for Ukrainians crossing to the safety of refuges and homes in many European towns and cities. In the six weeks I was there, 1.25 million civilians crossed into Poland, and it certainly felt like it for those of us meeting trains and buses 24 hours a day, all crammed with frightened, bewildered, mostly women and children. It was a tough time as we tried to provide practical and emotional support – food, clothing, a space on a crowded floor for a mum to lie down and rest whilst I held and fed her tiny baby with formula milk. The large network I built during that time, comprising military, politicians, health workers and local NGOs has served me well and enabled me to operate effectively within Ukraine and to be responsive to the changing humanitarian needs.
Over three years I have largely focused on getting aid in and close to the combat zones of Kharkiv, Kherson and the villages and settlements along the eastern front. Aid as varied as generators, wood burning stoves, boots and clothing, medical equipment, food, blankets, building materials and vehicles have all been purchased and delivered to where it has most been needed. The more recent missions have been to get vehicles, medical equipment and supplies to medical stabilisation centres, hospitals and to the volunteers who drive vehicles and ambulances into settlements and towns to rescue civilians who have become trapped or injured as Russian forces advance.
“Supporting the needs of the Orphan Care Centre in Lviv has also become a key focus of my work. The orphanage cares for all ages of children whose backgrounds range from those who have lost parents in the war to others who still have parents serving in the front line or who are unable to care for them. Many are disabled, some with significant long-term conditions or injuries sustained in the war. In addition to providing aid such as medical devices from thermometers and children’s commodes to special mattresses for children who are bedridden, we are also helping to fund the refurbishment of the main centre which provides education and rehabilitation services.
All of the work is only possible because of the generosity of hundreds of people and organisations who continually support my fundraising campaign.
I am enormously grateful to them all and especially those in my village of Kingsand on the Rame peninsular who are so supportive.”
During his most recent humanitarian trip, David’s focus was on delivering equipment, including two syringe drivers, to the Hospitallers Medical Battalion.
“These are an incredible group of volunteer medics who evacuate wounded civilians and soldiers from the combat zone and provide trauma care as they transport them in ambulances to medical stabilisation centres. The syringe drivers will be used in two of the ambulances. Often more than one critically injured person is evacuated at a time so it’s difficult for the paramedic to simultaneously manage the critical medical needs of multiple patients.
Heading back west I stayed overnight with volunteers in Bucha - one of the first outlying areas of Kyiv to be taken by Russian forces. The civilian population here suffered some of the worst atrocities, leading the UN to declare that war crimes had been committed. Three years on and it’s encouraging to see that much of the area has been rebuilt, though spending time with the family I could feel the impact of the trauma is still very raw, especially for the children, and heightened by the ongoing air strikes.
It's clear that the conflict is not going to end any time soon and I am committed to continuing to do all I can to support those who I believe are fighting not just for their own freedom but for the very values which make us human and for the lifestyles we all take for granted today. I've met many of the extraordinary people who have come together to defend their families and nation - they are shop workers, teachers, students, IT professionals, health workers - they are like all of us - ordinary people trying to do their best to repel the Russian forces. Many are being brutalised, raped, tortured, and paying with their lives.
I get many questions about why I am still returning and the impact this must have for my family. Of course this concerns me but the commitment of so many to Ukraine lies in a belief that we all share a common humanity, and if we believe in freedom and democracy then we must be prepared to live and defend the values which are their foundation.
