Latvia continues supporting Ukraine as four years pass since Russia’s war started / Article

More than one billion euros – that is how much support in monetary terms has been provided to Ukraine by the Latvian government, local authorities and the private sector since Russia launched its full-scale invasion. Most of this amount is direct military aid, exceeding 665 million euros. Military aid includes various types of equipment, anti-aircraft missiles, helicopters, howitzers, drones, weapons, dry food rations, ammunition, anti-tank weapons, fuel, etc.

Another €300 million has been allocated to aid Ukrainian civilians. This money is used for residence and work permits, employment grants, various types of benefits, scholarships, organising camps for children and students, as well as language and cultural orientation courses.

Support for Ukraine is also provided by the private sector and Latvian non-governmental organisations.

For example, one of the largest charity organisations in the country, Ziedot.lv, has collected approximately €42 million in donations since the start of the war. Several hundred thousand Latvian residents have donated funds.

“Well, that’s phenomenal! It shows that Latvian society understands the geopolitical situation and the military action, and it also shows that we are not tired of helping,” said Rūta Dimanta, head of Ziedot.lv, assessing the public’s involvement. She also revealed that around 70% of the total amount was donated directly to military support:

“At the beginning of the war, in the first two years, we provided assistance from what we could buy abroad, but since the second year of the war, Ziedot.lv has been purposefully trying to use these donation to purchase military industrial goods from local manufacturers, because we know that since the beginning of the war, this industry has developed, which means that the benefits remain in Latvia, and we can also help to develop technologies and manufacturers test them in real combat situations, rather than on a training ground. The trend is that we have more and more water, land and air drones, as well as various platforms that we can offer to the Ukrainians.”

Donations and support campaigns

Donations are actively collected, and support campaigns for Ukraine are organised by the association “Tavi draugi” (Your Friends). It focuses specifically on humanitarian aid, including for soldiers. Since the start of the war, the organisation has delivered €12 million worth of humanitarian aid to Ukraine, €2 million of which was last year. The association said that people are particularly active in donating on Ukraine’s Independence Day and during Christmas, but emphasised that help is needed every day and now more than ever.

One of the campaigns carried out by the association is “Siltums” (Warmth), organised in collaboration with Latvian winter swimmers and athletes.

“Cold swimming is very topical at the moment. And by inviting each other to demonstrate their sport with a “Warmth” hat, a symbolic element of ours that can be purchased for a donation, we can raise funds in this way. We can use the funds raised in the campaign to purchase the energy sources necessary to provide electricity, which include generators, power banks, and heaters, which are very relevant,” said Ulvis Noviks, head of the association “Tavi draugi” (Your Friends).

Similarly, on Tuesday, the anniversary of the full-scale war, the association “Tavi draugi” will organise its fourth memorial and support march, “Path of Light for Ukraine.” Last year, around a thousand people participated. Participants will gather at Doma Square at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 24th, and march to the Freedom Monument.

Hospital assistance

No less important than monetary and material donations is the assistance provided by Riga East University Hospital. Since the beginning of the war, the hospital has been admitting Ukrainian soldiers who have been seriously injured on the front lines. In four years, more than 780 seriously injured Ukrainian defenders have been brought to the hospital.

War victims are transported to the Eastern Hospital by a special bus equipped and converted by the Georgiy Logvinsky Charitable Foundation, which operates in Ukraine.

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