New Life for Old Ambulances
When it comes to saving lives, the organization Natalia Toropova works for, Ukraine Focus, may have hit on one of the most powerful, life-changing investments anyone could make. Ukraine Focus buys used ambulances for roughly $8000 and then has volunteers drive them from various cities in Europe to the front lines in Ukraine. In a single month, each one of these ambulances can save as many as 250 lives.
This means that the average cost per life saved is a mere $32. For the families of these individuals, the grief and suffering they’re spared is immeasurable. For the individual survivor, it’s a second chance at a future with possibilities they otherwise would never have had, including embarking on careers and starting families of their own, contributing as citizens after the war ends. The impact these ambulances bring to the front lines is beyond calculation.
Some might wonder, “Why measure an ambulance’s impact over a period of just one month? Couldn’t it save thousands in a year?” Toropova answers this head-on: “We don’t know how long an individual ambulance will last. It could be a month, but equally, it could be just a couple of weeks.”
She points out that for the Russian soldiers, ambulances are priority targets. “The Russians know that if they hit an ambulance, fewer Ukrainian lives will be saved,” and then she adds bluntly, “The Russians want Ukrainians dead.”
The fact that targeting ambulances is a war crime hasn’t deterred the Kremlin. Under the Geneva Conventions, targeting ambulances is prohibited. Even so, the Russians make doing so a priority, aiming to demoralize communities, disrupt civilian life, and weaken the overall resilience of Ukrainian citizens. It’s part of a strategy that includes bombing power stations and making Ukraine the most heavily mined country in the world.
Toropova knows that the life of an individual ambulance is measured in weeks, or at most, months, but she is nevertheless cheered by the fact that since the beginning of the war, Ukraine Focus has delivered more than 250 ambulances to the front lines. Ukraine Focus replaces destroyed ambulances as fast as they can.
Another factor that pleases her is that people from all walks of life volunteer to drive these ambulances to Ukraine. Prominent among them is Terry Virts, the NASA astronaut who commanded the International Space Station.
He participates in missions to drive ambulances to Ukraine. “It’s inspirational to other volunteers to see people like Terry are ready to put everything else aside so they can fight for freedom and for justice,” Toropova says.
For Toropova, each life saved, at a mere $32, represents a victory—a restored family, a preserved future, a moment of triumph for a nation standing strong. And with each volunteer who joins the mission, the world is reminded that the quest for justice has no borders, and that when humanity unites, it’s a force to be reckoned with.
Toropova invites you to learn more. “Come to https://ukrainefocus.org,” she says.
