Taking a convoy of ambulances to Ukraine showed me that we must remain steadfast in our support

It has been over three years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Three years of needless bloodshed, pain and destruction brought about by Vladimir Putin’s imperial delusions.

Russia’s so-called “special military operation”, launched in February 2022, was meant to last a matter of days, but the remarkable resolve of the Ukrainian people – and the unwavering supply of humanitarian and military aid from democratic nations – sees Ukraine continuing to fight relentlessly to preserve its sovereignty.

With Parliament in recess for Easter, I joined a cross-party group of MSPs and MPs and drove in a convoy of old NHS ambulances, filled to the brim with humanitarian aid, from London to the Ukrainian city of Lviv.

Organised by the Mighty Convoy organisation, ten of us set off, driving five ambulances in three-hour shifts through day and night across seven countries to Ukraine. The journey took a total of 36 gruelling hours with regular pit stops at service stations for a caffeine and Haribo boost to help us along the way.

Upon crossing the Polish border with Ukraine, it was immediately obvious that this was a country grappling with all-out war and its surreal impact on everyday life.

Although we were still many hours from the frontlines, each billboard, that in Glasgow might display an advertisement for Irn-Bru or a new car, warned of Russian misinformation or encouraged young people to join the army of drone operators.

As we made our way through rural Ukraine, on roads not dissimilar to any in the Scottish countryside, in each village we passed, we were struck by the hundreds of flags fluttering in the breeze next to the graves of soldiers who never made it back – a further reminder of the sheer scale of the death toll faced by every community across this vast country.

Our convoy eventually arrived at the Christian Medical Association of Ukraine HQ in central Lviv. We were met by the cheerful volunteers and staff who will ensure that the ambulances and medical supplies reach the front line to sustain the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Lviv's Old Town was eerie with very few people walking the elegant baroque streets despite the UNESCO World Heritage site resembling a typical European city-break destination like Prague or Krakow. Marital law is in full force meaning there is a curfew whereby citizens must be in their home before midnight and alcohol cannot be sold in restaurants and bars after 10pm.

The following day we went to visit the Unbroken initiative at St. Panteleimon Hospital, established by the city as the country’s first National Rehabilitation Centre, providing comprehensive surgical treatment, prosthetics and mental health support for war-affected individuals.

While we toured the cutting-edge facility, a broadcast rings out throughout the hospital – and across the country – signalling the start of the daily minute silence which takes place at 9am and offers people an opportunity to remember those that have been killed in the war.

The full horror of the war hit home as we met with soldiers and civilians alike who had lost limbs and suffered other life-changing injuries. The medics there are doing pioneering work and are keen to collaborate with our NHS hospitals, especially WestMARC at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and the Canniesburn Plastic Surgery & Burns Unit at Glasgow Royal Infirmary.

We then went to Lviv Town Hall to meet the Mayor, Andriy Sadovyi, who guided us through a presentation about life in Lviv during the war and their amazing resilience in the face of frequent bomb damage and mass casualties. He told us that the local authority allocates a staggering 20% of its budget, the equivalent of Glasgow’s entire Council Tax income, to weaponry that is sent to the front line.

After departing the mayor’s office, we went to see one of the hundreds of drone factories in Ukraine. The last three years has seen a seismic change in the way the war is being fought, with one-way attack drones replacing artillery as the battlefield weapon of choice, now responsible for up to 80% of daily combat losses on both sides.

The factory we visited resembled a high school technical workshop with technicians soldering away to meet the increasing demand of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, who buy 10,000 of these drones from this small factory every month alone.

Our final stop before heading back to the Polish border was a military training base for combat medics. Here we handed over one of the NHS ambulances to the brigade commander; the ambulance is now based at a field hospital on the front line.

Many moments on this journey inspired me but none more so than witnessing the brigade commander’s emotion as we handed over the keys to the ambulance. In the grand scheme of things, this was a small donation, but Ukrainians are so appreciative of what Britain is doing to support them after three barbaric years of an all-out invasion and the partial occupation of their country.

He told us about an attack on the base in which over thirty soldiers died. He said that the only way they could now prevent Russian rockets raining down on them was with air defence missiles provided by Britain.

While the support of the United States has faltered since January, Europe must not waver in its support for Ukraine and its perseverance in the face of tyranny.

The resilience of the Ukrainian people is remarkable, but they cannot hold back Russia's 'meat-grinder' alone, we must continue to support them with military equipment and humanitarian aid so that they can recover their occupied territory and secure peace on their terms.

I have now realised that the front line of European democracy is only three tanks of diesel away from us, we all have a stake in their success.

You can read my column in the Glasgow Times here: https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/25110343.the-resilience-ukrainian-people-remarkable/?ref=uber_nb&lp=16