By Rostyslav Averchuk
Lviv, Ukraine, July 12 (EFE).- Volunteers from Spain and several other countries are working alongside Ukrainians in the western city of Lviv to prepare dehydrated meals for thousands of frontline soldiers, providing lightweight, easy-to-cook food that can reach troops even in some of the war’s most inaccessible positions.
The work at Lviv’s Volunteer Kitchen runs smoothly, despite language barriers – 61-year-old Alejandro, a teacher from Spain, speaks mostly Spanish while many of his Ukrainian counterparts speak only their native language.
Boxes of donated ingredients arrive and leave the modest facility as more than a dozen volunteers peel and chop potatoes, vegetables, fruit and strips of meat.
The ingredients are then dehydrated and packed into soups, porridge and desserts that soldiers about 1,000 km away can prepare within minutes using only a small amount of water.
Motivated by solidarity
“I am happy to be here and help Ukraine’s defense in this way,” Alejandro told EFE after sharing the tortillas he has prepared with fellow volunteers during a short break.
A regular volunteer both in Spain and abroad, he felt compelled to help after Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022 and has returned to Ukraine every year for several months.
«I’ve never liked dictators, and I’ve always sympathized with the Davids of this world in their fight against Goliaths,» he said.
The corridor, lined with donated food supplies, is decorated with flags from Canada, Uruguay, Switzerland, Slovakia, and other countries brought by international volunteers drawn to Ukraine’s cause.
Barbara, 72, from the US, said she was inspired by Ukrainians’ «enormous courage» and felt «embarrassed» by what she considered insufficient support from her own country.
“At first I thought I could only help if I was a soldier or a doctor, but when I wrote, ‘I’m 70 years old and I don’t speak Ukrainian. Is there a chance?’ they replied, ‘Yes, 100 percent,’” she told EFE.
Over the past three years, Barbara has spent several months each year in Ukraine, when she is not caring for her two grandchildren in California, working at the Volunteer Kitchen and helping weave camouflage nets for soldiers through another local initiative.
Vital support
Although the work appears simple, its impact is significant, said local volunteer Maryana, who has three relatives serving in the Ukrainian military.
State food supplies are often destroyed during combat, while the compact, lightweight meal packs prepared in Lviv are easier to transport, sometimes by drone, to frontline dugouts where soldiers may remain for months.
“The places where our people are fighting are so dangerous that it’s not easy to deliver food there. Sometimes only these small portions of soup or dried fruit keep people alive,” Maryana said.
Although fewer foreign volunteers now travel to Ukraine than during the early years of the war, she says their presence remains an important sign of international solidarity.
“I guess they feel our spirit and that we are right,” she added.
Looking ahead
“Some people back home think I’m crazy. But here I meet people who share my values,” said Julien from France, who has volunteered regularly since the first year of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
He also noted that Lviv remains relatively safe compared with Kyiv and eastern and southern Ukraine.
“There are many ways to help,” says Bjorn, who drives donated vehicles from the United Kingdom to Ukraine. “Whatever skill you’ve got, there will be something for everyone.”
Alejandro said he has noticed growing war fatigue in Lviv after more than four years of conflict, including an increasing number of people with amputations on the city’s streets.
While praising Spain’s support for Ukraine, he called for even stronger European engagement and commends Ukrainians for their resilience.
“This fight is very personal because so many people here have family and friends serving in the military. And people are not going to give up,” Barbara said.
«Ukraine needs help. I am able to help. So I’ll keep coming back,” Bjorn added. EFE
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