Turku donates 2 buses laden with aid to Kharkiv

The public transport service provider of the City of Turku, Turun Kaupunkiliikenne Oy has donated two decommissioned buses to Turku's twin city Kharkiv, a city in northeast Ukraine.

The buses packed with various aid supplies collected by the Ukrainians of Finland association as well as winter football equipment donated by FC Inter and its partners will enable children's and young people's football practice, said the City of Turku in a press release on Monday.

The buses departed for Kharkiv on November 23, driven by the voluntary bus drivers of ProAid Network ry.

"This aid delivery is part of the City of Turku's relentless support of Ukraine and our twin town Kharkiv. I would like to extend my warmest thanks to Turun Kaupunkiliikenne Oy and FC Inter for their significant donations and to the Ukrainians of Finland association for organising the collection campaign," said Minna Arve, Mayor of Turku.

"I am pleased that the buses that previously served the residents of Turku can now help the City of Kharkiv and its residents," says Juha Parkkonen, Managing Director of Turun Kaupunkiliikenne Oy.

FC Inter has coordinated the distribution of football equipment together with the Ukrainian Association of Football.

The parent group of the Inter limited liability company has also regularly donated goods and materials to Ukraine to support local communities affected by the war.

"Football has the power to unite people and give hope even during the darkest moments. Our contact person at the Ukrainian Association of Football gave us a comprehensive list of equipment needed for practicing football in winter conditions, of which Kharkiv's junior football clubs have been short due to severe availability problems. This enabled us to target and collect the supplies for the now-departing aid delivery in a manner that will best meet the needs of the locals," said Julius Håkans, Chair of the Board of Directors of FC Inter ry.

"Through our cooperation in the delivery of humanitarian aid, we can bring Ukraine closer to its victory. We must continue to keep in mind that the war is still going on, and we cannot afford to stop assisting Ukraine, not even for a moment," said Olena Herasimenko, Chair of the Ukrainians of Finland association.