The Norwegian helpers

Over the past year, the whole world has been impressed by the incredible courage of the Ukrainian people.

Many Norwegians have also committed themselves to helping Ukraine, often at the risk of their own safety.

Why do they do that?

Odd Steinar Rønne is chairman of the board of the voluntary organization NUBAS.

– We receive donations from fire services all over Norway, smiles Rønne.

The volunteers have so far delivered 74 fire trucks, seven ambulances, four rescue boats and tons of equipment to Ukraine.

– The Ukrainians really need these vehicles. That is what motivates us, say the volunteers.

In Ukraine, the fire trucks are put straight into action.

The Ukrainian fire service tells TV 2 that the donations save many lives.

– The need for help is enormous. I felt I had to contribute.

The health worker has worked with everything from emergency aid to operating an ambulance.

Dyrseth now works as a coordinator for the aid organization MAIN, which will send large quantities of first aid equipment to Ukraine in the future.

– I map the need on the ground, and make sure that the equipment gets where it needs to go, says Dyrseth.

The four children are waiting at home.

– It is very difficult to leave my family at home, but I try to find a good balance so that I can also help here where the need is greatest.

– It is incredibly rewarding to be here.

Sander Sørsveen Trelvik works voluntarily as a medic near the front in Ukraine.

– I have never before seen people be so grateful for help, said the 21-year-old when TV 2 met him in November.

On 2 February, he and his colleague Simon Johnsen were nearly killed during Russian attacks in Bakhmut, in the east of the country.

Trelvik suffered extensive splinter and burn injuries.

– But I don’t regret going to Ukraine. I knew it was a risk, says Trelvik from the hospital bed.

Both Trelvik and Johnsen are slowly but surely on the road to recovery.

– Dogs have been something special to me ever since I was a child, and I find it difficult to see how the animals are doing here.

Before the war, Frederik worked 24/7 as an online retailer.

Now he rescues pets in war zones.

Many Ukrainians have been forced to flee without the possibility of taking their animals with them.

Guttormsen and local volunteers distribute food and evacuate abandoned animals.

He has also bought a house in Kharkiv. The garden has been converted into a kennel, where evacuated animals can stay until they find new homes.

– If you love animals, there is no more meaningful job than this, says Guttormsen.

– The abuse committed against my friends and colleagues in Ukraine by a terrorist state cannot be passed over in silence.

Morten himself was in Ukraine when Russia invaded on 24 February.

He saw missiles flying overhead in Kyiv, and had to flee with hundreds of thousands of other civilians.

– In such a situation, nothing makes more sense than helping, says Kroslid, who has been involved in Ukraine for 30 years.

Throughout the war, he has organized a number of evacuations from war-torn areas.

– I never thought there would be a need for us in Europe.

Oddny Gumaer runs the aid organization Novi together with her husband, and has worked in conflict areas for 30 years.

In Ukraine, they focus, among other things, on helping traumatized children and young people.

– You know that this is so painful. We know that this is something children should not experience, she says when TV 2 meets her at a refugee reception in Lviv, western Ukraine.

– At the same time, we are full of hope. Children are very persistent. They manage as long as they are given the opportunity to be in safe surroundings and get to process what they have experienced, smiles Gumaer.

– I couldn’t watch Europe go to hell.

War veteran Daniel Viksund and other veterans from the Armed Forces contribute equipment to the Ukrainian army.

The voluntary organization Veteran aid Ukraine has particularly specialized in drones, which the Ukrainians use frequently in warfare.

– Getting to know Ukrainians and forming new friendships has been the great joy of this, says Viksund.

– You feel that you can do something. That you can make a difference.

Arnstein Tranøy has contributed both humanitarian and military support to Ukraine since 2014 through the organization Norwegian Ukraine Support.

Among other things, the war veteran has supported Shaun Pinner, who was in Russian captivity for six months last year. After their release, the two were allowed to meet in London on Remembrance Day itself.

– The help from Norwegian Ukraine Support has been invaluable, says Pinner.

Tranøy has had a closer relationship with Ukraine than most; He took his first trip in 2002.

– I know the country in peacetime as well, and it is a wonderful country, says Tranøy.

– This year the world has seen the incredible power of the volunteers, and their enormous effort on our way to victory.

Thank you for your kind hearts and tireless efforts!

Photographers: Aage Aune, Tom Rune Orset, Ingrid Wollberg, Oleksandr Techynskyi, Bjørn Roger Brevik, Ingvild Gjerdsjø, Frode Hoff, Bent Skjærstad, Sonja Skeistrand Sunde, SRT, private photos.

Presentation: Ole Enes Ebbesen