TONY Elliston has seen the true horror of war with his own eyes.
In 2023 he has travelled to the Ukraine four times in a humanitarian mission to get aid to those most in need.
The Ukraine Harwich support project has seen multiple aid shipments make their way to the frontline.
Since the start of the invasion by Russia in 2022, hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost.
For those left behind after endless bombing lies devastation.
Tony and his team have been working 150 miles north of Kyiv close to the Russian and Belarus borders in what he described as “the dodgy end of town”.
Tony revealed in just those areas, there had been 25 missile attacks over the last thirty hours and said: “We feel particularly committed to the mums and the children, particularly those who have lost everything.
“One town we worked in with 800 houses has seen 300 destroyed and another 300 damaged."
Tony said that the photos he took, as shown, showed the “complete devastation” but also said he reckoned the volunteers had so far given “260 tonnes of aid”.
He said: “Each time we go we probably take eighteen hundred to two thousand boxes of aid.
“All of that has come from the community and has been packed by local people, all volunteers."
The “bit that is difficult to find” was not the donated goods, but instead enough money to pay for each trip which cost £7,000 to £8,000 in fuel.
Tony stays near the border for three or four days to ensure the goods are used by the right agents.
Tony shared the harrowing tale of one young woman whose husband had been killed.
She had gone out with her children to the supermarket to find it had been bombed, only to return to her bombed house.
He explained that though the woman was left with nothing, another social services person provided accommodation while the volunteers provided clothes, toys and money for heating materials.
Tony added that as well as a military response to the war in Ukraine there is a community response as well.
Mr Elliston said how in any Ukraine town “at 5 o’clock in the morning” the streets are cleaned “with any debris cleaned up”.
“If you go to the shopping centres, everyone wears bright clothes: we are not going to be put down by this.”
He said the Ukrainian “passive resistance” was as follows: “We are not going to be put down by this.”
“We are going to act as normal."
Tony will not be going on the trip setting off on Boxing Day having done four trips this year and said there is “definitely” one in March, June and August.
He also revealed how right now there is even another container full of medical supplies offered by another organisation which he “would be delighted to take down” but he doesn’t have the fuel money.
“Even if you paid for 10 trips, at £100k, you could then send 300 tonnes of aid. It is such good value.”
Tony said there can be “cynicism in relation to aid generally” with many asking “where their money goes” to charities with high staffing costs and well-paid executives, and said:
“With our team of volunteers, we wanted to reassure people that if they gave us money or some goods we would get it to the people."
To donate visit the Ukraine Harwich support project or contact Tony at tony.elliston@harwichccp.com
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