Vienna sends relief supplies to Ukraine

In 2022, the City of Vienna sent 27 trucks loaded with more than 160 tons of aid and relief supplies to Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Poland.

The City of Vienna reacted quickly to the war in Ukraine: in the immediate aftermath of 24 February 2022, nine trucks with relief supplies left for the Eastern European country. The first convoy of trucks dispatched were loaded mainly with medical supplies, protective clothing and safety equipment for hospital staff, to be used for instance in surgical wards and during operations.

The second delivery of humanitarian aid and relief supplies included 150 hospital beds, 50 stretchers, plates and dishes, eating utensils, blankets as well as medical ultrasound machines and equipment. All trucks arrived safely in Lviv, where the goods were unloaded.

Referring to the relief supplies sent to Ukraine, Mayor Michael Ludwig stressed: "Standing by Ukraine and assisting the Ukrainian people is a matter of course for us. Delivering aid and supporting those who seek protection from this armed conflict is not only a major concern of ours, but we also consider it our duty".

Long before the outbreak of the current crisis, Vienna has already been committed to providing assistance to Ukraine. Funded by the City of Vienna, charitable associations and organisations like Caritas und Volkshilfe, for instance, have for many years now made an active contribution towards education and health care as well as drinking water treatment in the East of Ukraine.

Support for refugees in Poland and Moldova

Three trucks loaded with personal protective garments worn during surgeries, such as surgical caps, gowns, aprons as well as protection masks for mouth and nose, were sent to the Republic of Moldova and unloaded in the city of Taraclia.

On 14 March 2022, another truck loaded with bed linen, clothes, blankets and pillows set off for Poland, where these supplies were made available to refugees from Ukraine in emergency accommodations and shelters in Warsaw. On 16 March, 600 mattresses were loaded in Vienna on three further trucks that also made their way to Warsaw.

In May 2022, yet another truck carrying hospital beds, mattresses, wheelchairs and respirators left Vienna for the city hospital of Balti in the Republic of Moldova, where these supplies were to facilitate the provision of medical care to an additional large number of refugees from Ukraine.

Hospital beds for emergency care

In July 2022, it was possible to deliver hospital beds, mattresses as well as dishes and eating utensils to the municipality of Hostomel near Kyiv, that had suffered massive damages due to the fighting. Likewise, the City of Vienna made available school furniture to the badly damaged city of Irpin to ensure that a local school could be reopened.

Autumn saw semi-trailer trucks being consistently loaded with hospital beds and making their way from Vienna to Ukraine. These beds were made available to the hospitals of Nadvirna (Ivano-Frankivk region), Rozdilna (Odesa region), Kitsman (Chernivtsi region), Netishyn (Khmelnytskyi region) and Kyiv. By delivering these 300 hospital beds, Vienna was able to make an essential contribution to enabling the provision of emergency care for those who had been injured or fallen ill.

Yet another truck delivered 6.5 tons of medical-technical equipment as well as beds to Chisinau in the Republic of Moldova. These supplies sought to ensure the provision of medical care to both the local population and the large number of refugees from Ukraine.