Joakim, a volunteer with Help Ukraine Gothenburg (HUG), recently completed his first trip to Ukraine on behalf of the organization, personally driving a van loaded with essential medical supplies to our partners on the ground.
Among the supplies were tourniquets and other critical medical items, which will be further distributed to combat medics and soldiers at the front lines. At the same time, the van itself will remain in Ukraine and will be rebuilt into an armored CASEVAC vehicle designed for frontline medical evacuation.
This transformation is part of a wider effort to adapt to the realities of modern warfare. In Ukraine, vehicles like this are not just transported from point A to point B — they are rebuilt locally to match the conditions on the ground, where speed, protection, and reliability can directly determine whether wounded people make it back alive.
A CASEVAC, short for casualty evacuation vehicle, is built to reach places where regular transport cannot go and to bring wounded soldiers out of dangerous positions alive. It is not a combat vehicle and it carries no weapons. Its only mission is to give medics the time and protection they need to save lives on the move.
But today, evacuation has become significantly more dangerous than it used to be. Modern battlefields are constantly monitored and actively targeted, including by FPV drones. Medical evacuation vehicles are often specifically attacked, because stopping a rescue means preventing wounded soldiers from reaching care.
For years, HUG has been delivering rescue vehicles to Ukraine alongside our partners on the ground. This year, we expanded that work — armoring the vehicles themselves so each evacuation has a better chance of finishing safely under fire. Protection has to keep up with what the battlefield demands.
The van delivered by Joakim will go through exactly this kind of transformation together with our partners in Ukraine, becoming an armored CASEVAC designed for frontline use. Joakim shared his experience from this journey with us:
The need for life-saving vehicles is growing every day. Support our fundraising campaign and help us build and deliver more armored CASEVACs for Ukraine.
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