For Rafal Schubert, a hug from his daughter is a clear sign he is safely home from a war zone.
Awake for the better part of two days, Schubert has just returned from Ukraine.
There, he worked with a team of four London men on a mission to meet those who will benefit from 60,000 tonnes of aid donated by southwestern Ontario residents through the London Ukrainian Centre.
“Seeing our aid coming in and then going out to where it is needed, you know, it’s a personal impact,” Schubert told a Ukrainian film team in a video shared with CTV London.
The men also carried 20 suitcases full of donated emergency medical supplies.
Schubert says the cases were given to relief groups, who just days later, took the supplies to the front line of the war with Russia. He says that reality hit home for him.
“I think one of the hardest things for people to understand is that when you meet certain people that go to the conflict zone consistently, that is the last time you might be actually meeting them,” said Schubert.
For the four men, the mission inside Ukraine began two weeks ago.
Waiting hours to cross the border in Poland, they quickly realized they were entering a conflict zone.
“Everyone has a weapon there on the border, and rightly so. You know you’re going into a war zone, for sure,” stated team member Scott McCallum.
“Security is tight. You can sense it. You go through some of the towns and villages and all the lights are off,” added Schubert.
Once well inside the country, the war hit home further.
“Are there sirens there? Absolutely. Are there missiles still hitting the city of Lviv and the territory around it? There are.” confirmed Schubert.
“That raises the eyebrows, the blood pressure,” added McCallum, “Because back here in Canada, that is something we’re not used to.”
With each of the four men having a policing or military background, the threat of harm did not stop them from completing their mission.
Over several days, they moved through Ukraine, meeting and supplying multiple emergency services with donated surplus equipment from London.
Their visits included a fire station just outside Lviv. Its crews had just put out a massive fuel depot fire caused by a Russian missile strike.
They also visited with aid agencies and even an animal shelter overrun with displaced dogs, cats and zoo animals.
One dog, who lost a leg in a blast near the front lines, caught the eye of McCallum. The team says he now hopes to be able to adopt the husky mix and bring it to Canada.
As the men return to London, they contend their in-person visit to Ukraine, despite the risk, was worth it.
“Now, when I am out there canvassing for different donations, I can put more validity to the situation from having been there,” McCallum said.
And as Ukrainians unpack a sea container of all the supplies donated by Londoners that just arrived this past Sunday, their appreciation is evident.
“Thank you, Canadians!” a group expressed in a video submitted to CTV News.
Watching safely back in London, Schubert was thrilled to see the impact of goods given with heart by Londoners.
“They are going exactly where they are needed, to the people who need it most,” he said.
The men plan to use the information collected to better determine what specific items are needed during the next donation drive by the London Ukrainian Centre.
