32 tons of emergency medical supplies headed to Ukraine from Seattle

A cargo jet packed full of bandages, clean syringes, and other medical supplies is set to leave for Ukraine this week from Sea-Tac Airport. A group of nonprofit organizations, including Nova Ukraine and the Ukrainian Association of Washington State, donated $3.5 million in supplies to help Ukrainians fleeing violence.

“These supplies are needed all over Ukraine and will save many lives,” Igor Markov said Monday afternoon in front of a cargo jet at Sea-Tac Airport.

Markov is the Director of Nova Ukraine, one of the groups that coordinated the airlift. The Ukrainian Association of Washington State, the Ukrainian-American Cultural Association of Oregon, and Ukrainian Student Association at Stanford University partnered in obtaining and sorting the hundreds of boxes of supplies.

“People all over the greater Seattle area, in Washington state, people all over the West Coast have come together to ship this life saving aid to Ukraine,” said Katya Sedova of the Ukrainian Association of Washington State.

On Monday crews loaded cardboard boxes onto the plane, strapping some down to the floor and others packed into overhead compartments.

Governor Jay Inslee, Port of Seattle Commissioner Hamdi Mohamed, King County Executive Dow Constantine, and Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell walked through the plane as it was being loaded and chatted with volunteers.

“Every single person in the state of Washington has been touched and inspired by the courage of President Zelenskyy,” Inslee said of the Ukrainian leader.

Inslee and others said they’re committed to helping Ukrainians now who are in Europe and also later as refugees who might come to Washington.

The United Nations refugee agency estimates nearly four million people have fled Ukraine since Russia’s invasion began in late February.

Dmytro Kushneruk, Consul General of Ukraine in San Francisco, said Monday that the medical supplies will be distributed to hospitals that need them desperately.

“They need them right now,” Kushneruk said.

Both Kushneruk and Sedova said this is only the first supply plane they hope to send to help Ukrainians.

“We need more planes to bring the necessary medical aid to Ukraine from Seattle; not only medicine, but food," Kushneruk said. "Food is important to bring to those cities that are under siege by Russia.”

The cargo jet is set to leave Seattle for Ukraine in the next few days.