Swiss relief goods in action in Ukraine
At the end of 2022, the SDC delivered handling equipment (FUG) donated by the Swiss Army to the Ukrainian Civil Defence. These machines are very demanded due to Russian air attacks in Ukraine. In November 2024, a new delivery of 30 FUGs and 30 fire-fighting pumps arrived in Ukraine. The SDC programme officer, Urs Bächtold, visited eastern Ukraine to find out more about the use of this equipment.
Urs Bächtold has a busy programme: five civil protection sites to visit and meetings with local rescue workers. All this in four days and around 1,500 kilometres of roads and railways. Urs travels mainly to Eastern Ukraine, where equipment is most needed, in the large cities of Sumy and Kharkiv. Both are close to Russia and are often hit by grenades, bombs and missiles.
The first day takes place in the town of Sumy, which borders the Russian region of Kursk and has been the target of increased Russian fire since the summer. Sumy is only around thirty kilometres from the border post from which the Ukrainian army launched its offensive on Russian territory on 6 August. Here, Ukrainian civil protection is using a fire-extinguishing vehicle and a handling machine donated by Switzerland. They are being used to re-establish access for emergency services after devastating impacts. Urs - a firefighter for more than 20 years - quickly made contact with the Ukrainian specialists and exchanged experiences on the machines installed in the inner courtyard of the fire station. Shortly afterwards, air raid sirens sounded over Sumy and the meeting had to be moved to a shelter.
After the air alert has been lifted, the specialists resume their visit to the places that have been targeted by Russian attacks in recent days. The first example is a block of flats that was half-collapsed by an aerial bomb. Urs continues on his way to a hospital that had been hit by two drones a few days earlier. The building has a massive hole with patient beds totally burned and operating lights spread all over the courtyard. On both sites, Ukrainian civil protection units were able to extinguish fires and clear rubble from emergency exits, thanks to relief materiel from the SDC.
After a night marked by a permanent air alert in the town of Poltava, the delegation travelled further east, to the town of Kharkiv. Here, two handling vehicles are in operation. Judging by the overused tyres, Urs realises that the vehicles are under heavy strain. In Kharkiv, Ukrainian civil protection has an unusual mix of fire-fighting vehicles: alongside modern donations from all over the world, old Soviet models are also in service. During the visit to the fire brigade warehouse, the air raid sirens sounded again and explosions could be heard as the delegation made their way to the shelters. Because of Kharkiv's proximity to Russia, the warning time for future air attacks is extremely short.
To the north of Kharkiv, a completely burnt DIY shop illustrates the enormous challenges facing Ukrainian civil protection. In May 2024, two aerial bombs set the entire site ablaze. According to the Ukrainians, the extinguishing work lasted more than 16 hours with the help of equipment supplied by the SDC.
The equipment supplied by Switzerland is being used in Ukraine for the benefit of the civilian population, and is needed because of the ongoing war. Handling equipment, fire-fighting vehicles and equipment are particularly needed in the regions of eastern Ukraine close to the front line. According to Urs, there are still challenges to be overcome, such as spare tyres for handling equipment, which are not available in Ukraine.
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Switzerland delivers 30 rubble-clearing machines and 30 fire pumps to Ukraine
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