Pickups, vans, ambulances are needed at or near the front lines.
At war, vehicles do not last long and thus are needed in great quantities.
Individual volunteers responded, but faced a number of issues.
Charities and the government were focused on other needs.
Given the big need and own limited financial resources, we turned to Europe where used vehicles were plenty and significantly cheaper vs domestic market.
In only a couple of months, we supplied dozens of vehicles from the UK and EU.
Among the most critical necessities: four-wheel-dri..... vehicles that can go off-road, avoiding Russian mines and artillery by cutting through fields and forests. All these conveyances are in short supply in Ukraine.
The young men who would eventually come together in Ukraine Needs Wheels started small: individuals buying vehicles somewhere in Western Europe, often with their own money or funding from friends and relatives, then driving them across the border one at a time.
The breakthrough came when the group realized that it had the expertise to operate at scale, fundraising in the U.S. and Europe to buy and transport vehicles in bulk.
The transport operation is relatively simple. One set of volunte.. drives the cars from wherever they are purchased to the Ukrn border. A second group loads them on a tow truc —by f
Despite dozens of vehicles supplied, Defenders and Paramedics needed more.
It was obvious that the need could only be addressed properly on a scale.
Given the background of our team, we knew we could achieve the scale required.
To obtain the funding necessary for scaling, we turned to fundraising. By financially supporting UkraineNeedsWheels, one helps Ukrainian Defenders and Paramedics and contributes to the Ukrainian victory.