Urban defenses in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv have been bolstered by the donation of more than 3,000 sandbags from Scotland.
Following the appeal to the office of Edinburgh Lord Provost Frank Ross, the bags have been hauled to Edinburgh Airport to board a flight to Krakow, Poland. They are now on their way to Kyiv by train.
Donated to Edinburgh by Falkirk Council, and coordinated with staffing support from NatWest, the sandbags will be used by officials in Kyiv to erect sand barricades to preserve important historical monuments, memorials, and statues.
The assistance has been delivered less than two weeks after a request came in.
Edinburgh’s Lord Provost Frank Ross said: “I’m delighted we were able to answer our twin city Kyiv’s call for help so quickly and that the sandbags will soon be put to good use protecting their treasured monuments and, with that, their history.
“The coordination and delivery involved in turning this around has required a real ‘can do’ attitude and a true team effort between all of the organisations involved. They each deserve great credit for their ingenuity and input.”
Kyiv was shelled early in the war
Milly Batchelor from the Youth Banking Customer Journey Team, NatWest Group, said: “At NatWest Group, our thoughts are with the people and families whose lives have been affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We were delighted our employee volunteers were able to support this initiative.”
Dorothy Reid, Roads and Grounds Manager for Falkirk Council, added: “It was a very straight forward request that we knew could help the aid operation in Ukraine.
“There’s already a massive humanitarian effort going on however, this seemed something that was a bit different, and we were really happy to offer a hand with.
“We hope that some of the city’s historic landmarks can be protected with the sandbags and our small donation helps Kyiv and its citizens maintain its cultural identity.”
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