“Ukrainians Are Defending Our Borders Too”: Finnish Volunteers and UGCC Parish in Tallinn Donate Over 150 Vehicles to Ukraine
When, in May this year, the Ukrainian military received a further seven vehicles from volunteers in Estonia and Finland, each of these vehicles had a four-year history behind it — of funds raised, engines repaired and thousands of kilometres travelled to the Ukrainian border. And people who keep telling Ukrainians: “We are with you. We are on the same side”.
The parish of the Three Handed Mother of God of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Estonia has been actively supporting Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war. Initially, this took the form of humanitarian aid, bulletproof vests and essential supplies. Later, Estonian and Finnish volunteers joined in this support, and individual initiatives grew into a permanent service for Ukrainian soldiers and those affected by the war.
Father Roman Kikh, the pastor for Ukrainians in Tallinn, says that since the start of this year alone, 17 vehicles have been sent to the front line, and over 150 in total since the full-scale war began.
“It is very important to me that this support was not merely an emotional response during the first few months of the war, but has become an ongoing commitment of our community. All parishioners — both those who lived here previously and those who arrived in Estonia after the full-scale invasion began — remain involved in this cause. We are constantly raising funds: whether for car repairs, the purchase of new vehicles, or other needs of the military. This shows that the Ukrainian Church abroad is alive, active and capable of responding to the challenges of the times not only with words, but with concrete service,” says the priest.
According to Fr. Roman, in addition to the vehicles, the community has implemented a number of other aid projects for Ukraine. In particular, it has purchased mobile shower and laundry units for the military, medical equipment for a hospital in Kyiv, ambulances, an evacuation bus and a mobile dental clinic for the military.
“The vehicles we are donating go straight to the front line. They are used to evacuate the wounded, transport soldiers and for other needs. The cooperation is coordinated through the Garrison Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Lviv, which helps to distribute the vehicles among the units,” he explains.
The collaboration with Finnish volunteers plays a special role in this story. One of the main initiators was Kai Lappalainen — a Finnish Lutheran pastor who is currently the head of communications at the Finnish Bible Institute. It is he who coordinates fundraising for vehicles, organises deliveries and, together with other volunteers, regularly travels to the Ukrainian border.
For Kai, this story began in the spring of 2022 after seeing a news report.
“At the station in Przemyśl, there was a little Ukrainian boy, all alone, without his parents. He had only a backpack, and on it was a note with the address where he was supposed to go. And something stirred inside me then. I thought: if I can help in such a way that children like this don’t have to flee the war, then I must do it,” recalls Kai.
Soon, he was approached by Estonian car enthusiasts who were looking for vehicles for the Ukrainian military. Kai wrote about this on his car website, which is popular in Finland, and people began donating off-road vehicles and minibuses to Ukraine.
“On 22 March 2022, we collected the first vehicles,” he says. “That’s how it all began”.
At first, the aid was informal: volunteers simply handed over the cars to Ukrainians at the Polish-Ukrainian border. But when it became clear that the war was continuing, they decided to collaborate with the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Estonia.
“I heard there was a Ukrainian Christian community in Tallinn and immediately wanted to get to know them. As a Christian and a pastor, I wanted to work alongside Christians. It doesn’t matter which denomination they belong to. All Christians are brothers and sisters,” says Kai.
He adds that it is precisely this collaboration with the Church that has become a sign of trust and transparency for the volunteers.
“People who donate money want to know that the vehicles are actually reaching the military. Thanks to our collaboration with the Church, everything is done officially. We can show where these vehicles have gone, and we even receive photos and videos from the military,” explains the volunteer.
Nowadays, fewer vehicles are now being donated free of charge, so volunteers mainly raise funds, buy vehicles, repair them and fill them with humanitarian aid. During the last trip, along with seven vehicles for Ukraine, they also brought over 200 fire extinguishers and firefighting equipment.
Despite hours-long queues at the border, Finnish volunteers continue to travel to Ukraine. Kai admits: every such trip convinces him even more that Ukrainians are fighting not just for themselves.
“Someone asked me why I do this. And I replied: Ukrainians are not just defending their own borders. They are defending our borders as well,” he says.
At the same time, this collaboration has also been a deeply personal experience for him. Kai lived in Russia for two years and visited this country many times, but after the full-scale war began, he openly sided with Ukraine. Most of his friends there have disappeared from Facebook. Not because they’ve had a falling out — it’s simply that they can’t show their support publicly.
“I used to know almost nothing about Ukraine. But now I know one thing: we’re on the same side,” says the Finnish volunteer.
Sometimes he’s asked about his plans. The answer is simple: to go to Kyiv when the war is over. To see the people and places he’s noted down in his phone. He was there once before — on a school trip, about thirty years ago.
Father Roman Kikh is convinced that this story demonstrates that the Church abroad is not standing on the sidelines of the war in Ukraine, but is becoming a place where solidarity among different nations and denominations is transformed into concrete service.
“Our Church abroad is active and continues to help. And it is very valuable that this help unites people of different nations and different Christian traditions. Greek Catholics, Lutherans, Estonian and Finnish volunteers are serving Ukraine together — not with declarations, but with concrete deeds. This is proof that, in the face of human suffering, Christian unity becomes visible. And this support does not wane, because people have not grown tired of standing by one another,” the priest emphasises.
Compiled by Vira Valchuk
The UGCC Department for Information
