The HEROCAR project launched a national online platform to provide the Armed Forces with off-road vehicles and other wheeled vehicles.
The donation platform was presented at a press conference held at the Kyiv City State Administration.
"Within the framework of this platform, we collect applications for wheeled transport, verify them in the Armed Forces, purchase exactly those machines that are needed at the front, bring them to the necessary technical condition for work at the front, deliver them to the Armed Forces and carry out operational maintenance together with partners. The main task is to ensure that the entire process is as transparent and efficient as possible for the benefit of our military. We have arranged the supply of machines from the USA, Europe and Korea and can provide the Armed Forces with any type of transport, but right now there is a need for pickup trucks. That's why we supply the Ford F-250 and Ford F-350. These are very powerful frame machines with a 6-liter diesel engine. Any MANPADS or machine gun can be installed on such a pickup. The carrying capacity of the body of the first model is 1.5-1.8 tons, the second - up to 2.5 tons. Some of the vehicles that we transferred to the front line have already been fitted with full-fledged anti-aircraft guns weighing 2.2 tons. The machine works perfectly and fulfills the task", said Oleksandr Pugach, head of the HEROCAR project.
The national platform allows both servicemen and civilians to apply for a car. This can be done, for example, by relatives or friends of soldiers. Within 30 days after the end of collection, the car will be at the front.
People who know from their own experience how important it is for frontline fighters to have reliable off-road vehicles have joined the popularization of the platform. The ambassador of the project was the well-known Ukrainian director Akhtem Seitablaev, who went to serve in the Armed Forces from the first days of the full-scale invasion. Representatives of the Women of Steel organization, which unites mothers and wives of defenders of Ukraine, came to the presentation of the donation platforms. The veterans of the "Azov" regiment had their say.
Oleg Petrenko, coordinator of the charity fund Support AZOV and a veteran of the legendary unit, explained that the Ukrainian army needs not only anti-aircraft vehicles, but also a system for their service and repair: "Over the past year, more than 60,000 vehicles were imported to Ukraine for the needs of the Armed Forces. The average service life of wheeled vehicles in a war for 2-9 weeks. It is necessary to send cars to the front constantly. This is the key to our victory. But providing a car to the military is not enough. It still needs to be serviced and repaired in a timely manner. It is necessary to check the needs of military units in these cars. In the old days, the Cossacks had horses, today these horses have become steel, just like our Cossacks who are fighting for freedom."
The HEROCAR project chose a comprehensive approach to the supply of cars to the Armed Forces. Since the machine gets to the military unit, the project team takes over its operational maintenance, repair and provision of spare parts. For this purpose, each car has a plate on the instrument panel with a phone number that can be contacted for technical issues.
Now, with the help of a single national platform, the collection of pickup trucks for special forces, fire support units and repairmen who work with tanks and guns on the hottest areas of the front has started.
