August 2026 Update - Tough Times for Ukraine

Dear Supporters of Ukraine,

August was a brutal month for Ukrainian civilians, above all for those in Kyiv. In one of the hardest nights for its citizens, Russia launched 598 strike drones and 31 ballistic missiles at the city in one night, killing 25 people, four of them children. The following night a strike west of Kyiv killed 37 more, 34 of whom were elderly care home residents.

Such numbers reveal the sad reality: Ukraine has run out of ballistic missile interceptors. Deliveries to Ukraine in 2026 fell to about a third of those in 2025. The main reason is America's war with Iran that drained the former's stockpiles, unfortunately that of other nations in the region, too. Russia increased its ballistic missile launches from 61 in April to 198 in July, and added jet-powered drones to its arsenal, strike drones that fly much faster than anything Ukraine can reliably shoot down. In Kyiv the air alert is on almost constantly, also during daytime, severely disrupting civilian's routines.

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That said, Ukrainians are not resting - countermeasures against the jet-powered Geran-4/-5 strike drones are already being developed. That night when 598 drones were launched at Kyiv, Ukraine's air defense shot down 563, and 26 of the 31 missiles with the few interceptors that were still at its disposal. Ukrainian forces liberated 26 settlements in the Dnipropetrovsk region, and the European Union approved billions in new defense funding on Ukraine's Independence Day, while pressing its member states to release Patriot ballistic missile interceptors, of which Greece, Spain, and Poland still have a considerable number. Ukraine needs around 300 before winter.

Our August 2026 newsletter provides you with updates about our most recent work in Ukraine - enabled by your generous donations:

UAO August Action - Steady Stream of Deliveries
Behind the Scenes: The Volunteer Story of the Recent Car Convoy

Your UAO Volunteer Team

UAO August Action - Steady Stream of Deliveries

A generator here. A Starlink there. A Toyota Hilux from the UK. A ground drone from our stock. What seems to be “just another month” from the outside was a busy month viewed from the inside. The constant flow of deliveries, from our warehouse to the front lines, enabled with your generous donations, remains as high as ever. Not only our ground team worked hard, but also the units UAO supports do their part. One day in August, the “Artan” Special Unit visited our warehouse to pick up 10 heavy power stations. Just as they had left, the next set of delivery items was already stacked by the door.

Power and signals
Energy generation and storage equipment remained on top of nearly every request list; and so, generators and power stations left our warehouse almost every day: To the drone pilots of the 427th Unmanned Systems Brigade “Rarog”, to the 419th and 428th “Shadow” Unmanned Systems Battalions, to the 22nd Brigade, Azov Corps and the Spartan Brigade, and to the Lyut and 46th Brigades, the National Guard, Azov’s Air Defence Battalion, the “Artan” Special Unit, and the 421st Separate Battalion of Unmanned Systems “Sapsan”. The 91st Battalion asked for a generator at very short notice - and received it promptly. Much of the above rests on the same shoulders as in previous months: a combination of your donations and the support of our international partners (e.g., Diel Foundation & Protect Ukraine) in combination with a number of private donors.

Huge energy delivery to our drone warriors from the 427th Unmanned Systems Brigade "Rarog"! Thanks to your donations to our previous fundraisers, we were able to provide a huge package of generators and powerstations for our drone warriors in the East.

The happiest looking photo was of the EW specialist of the Spartan Brigade amidst three power stations, five generators, four Starlinks, and three boxes of food. August also saw the repeated delivery of a number of large generators (12-40 kW), sponsored by the Diel Foundation and Protect Ukraine. With winter - and Russia’s strike campaign against the Ukrainian power grid - on the horizon, items like these are absolutely essential. Protect Ukraine donated many of the Starlinks delivered in August. The 43rd Brigade received three, so that its soldiers and medics remain fully connected while at the front line. The border guards in the northern direction also received five terminals, as did the “Apachi” drone team of the 81st Brigade that eventually received eight. Demand for Starlinks never ceases, for more than a good reason.

Starlinks are right now the most requested item by drone units - enabling them a critical advantage! On the photos you see how the "Da Vinci Wolves" and the 81st Brigade received their Starlinks from us!

Unmanned systems and electronic warfare
The drone unit of the 82nd Air Assault Brigade received one of the month’s largest deliveries: Several drones, drone batteries, generators, power stations, Starlinks, and a few extra items on top. The 428th "Shadow" battalion received two Mavic 4T thermal vision drones, paid for by donations to our earlier fundraisers, and the 77th Brigade received DJI drones. The 141st received a somewhat unsightly yet absolutely essential item: A powerful drone signal jammer to keep their new vehicle and its passengers safe. The mid- and long-range strike units of the 1st Unmanned Systems Center received 30 cellphones, bringing the total to 75, all financed by the Combat Veteran News YouTube community. More Targan ground drones kept rolling out of the UAO warehouse, too. The 22nd Brigade received one for evacuation and logistics, the “Da Vinci Wolves” received two, and the 37th Marine Brigade received a second Targan for zero-line resupply and casualty evacuation, financed from your generous donations, our international partners, and the Preston Stewart YouTube community.

Starlinks, Power Stations and a Targan Ground Drone went to our drone warriors from the "Achilles" drone unit. Yuri received them at the UAO warehouse, where everything was loaded on the unit’s truck.

Everyone gets a car
This August saw a surprisingly high number of vehicle deliveries (see also below the report of the recent car convoy). A Ford Ranger went to the 3rd Heavy Mechanised Brigade. A van finally found its match with the Khartiia Brigade after a long wait for the right non-standard task. Later, the brigade also received an Opel Vivaro during our delivery trip to Kharkiv. The Timur unit received a Nissan Pathfinder. Donor Balt from the Netherlands purchased a Toyota Hilux for the 141st Brigade and drove it to Ukraine. The 22nd Brigade received an SUV, and the Special Operations Forces a large Ford truck for logistics and operations. One car had two lives: Donated by donor Harmen, it worked for UAO’s ground team for two months before going to a reconnaissance unit. "It's great, but I have to get used to low vehicles," its new driver told us.

With the help of our partners, the UAO team immensely increased the frequency of van and truck deliveries to our units! The Khartiia Brigade, 22nd Brigade, SOF, and a reconnaissance team received their vehicles which are needed for logistics and missions.

Joining forces
This month we showed what our partner network can do when everyone pulls in the same direction. One project provided four mobile command centers for air defense, sponsored by an anonymous Dutch donor and the Diel Foundation, driven to Ukraine by Henk, Chris and Markus, and equipped by our volunteer Sofiia, who tracked down every single item that had to go inside. Being able to contribute to safer skies is a rare privilege.

The UAO team (Sytske and Tor) in Kharkiv! Thanks to your support for our previous fundraisers, the team delivered a huge equipment package to the warriors of the 54th Brigade - fighting in the Eastern Direction

In a nutshell, August proved once again that supporting Ukraine is a joint effort - foundations, individuals, drivers, online communities: They all come together with a common goal, to keep the brave defenders of Ukraine powered, mobile, and safe.

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The 428th Unmanned Systems Battalion „Shadow“ received 2 Mavic 4T Thermal drones from your donations to the previous fundraisers as well as generators from our partners.

Behind the Scenes: The Volunteer Story of the Recent Car Convoy

Time to act
When Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, Dutchman Gijs Plantinga knew he had to support Ukraine with concrete action, having been to Eastern Europe and working for the Dutch Foreign Office before. The only question was when and how, as any volunteer who began trying to wedge meaningful aid work into well accustomed workplace and family schedules can attest. Having pondered popular options like weaving camouflage nets, packing food parcels for front line soldiers, or providing medical supplies, a Linkedin post caught his attention: Willem de Groot of Vehicles4Ukraine (V4U), affiliated with the Dutch organisation Friends of Ukraine (VVO) and the Diel Foundation, was assembling a convoy to drive eight yet to be purchased off-road vehicles from the city of Leipzig in Germany to Kyiv in Ukraine, handing them over to various army units through UAO. After some vetting by V4U’s founder, Edvin Mermans, the leader of the convoy-to-be, he was allowed to join as one of 9 drivers - with only two weeks to prepare while overseas. Once in Leipzig, Gijs and the others were to be joined by a Ukrainian associated with V4U, Andrii.

Leaving for Leipzig
The day of departure arrived, and Gijs was duly picked up at a petrol station on Amsterdam’s ring-road A-10 by Dutch volunteer Mark, with much IT and finance prowess under his belt, and, most importantly, driving a sturdy 2008 Nissan Pathfinder, part of the delivery. While Gijs and Mark were heading towards Leipzig via Kassel, another group of Dutch volunteers, Wim, Wendeline, Edwin, Ronald, Gea, Sjirk, Michel, and Gerrit-Jan were also en route independently, some having been to Ukraine before the full-scale invasion, with friends and acquaintances in various cities. Although their cars - a Subaru Forester, Volkswagen TD4, Nissan X-Trail, and Nissan Pathfinder - were looked over prior to departure, some soon showed their affordable price and age, overheating, belching smoke from the exhaust, and sporting a flat tyre. Leipzig is not only an international Ukraine military and humanitarian aid supply hub, but also the operating base for V4U that sources used off-road cars in Eastern Germany, Bavaria, Czech Republic, and The Netherlands, then pooling them for delivery in Ukraine, arranged by UAO. Not all cars procured that way are serviced to perfect condition - after all, V4U, VVO, and UAO have to handle financial donations responsibly, always balancing price and quality. Eventually, all cars and drivers duly arrived, and everyone in the convoy-to-be met at Leipzig Markt, the historical city centre square, for well-deserved refreshments, and, above all, getting to know each other, sharing their motivations for volunteering.

Onwards to Ukraine
Viktor, the Leipzig stronghold and initiator of V4U, waved the convoy goodbye as it left Leipzig towards Ukraine. Once again, en route to the Polish-Ukrainian border at Korczowa-Krakovets, some cars refused to behave - one losing its reverse and fifth gear, another requiring a duct tape and zip-tie “repair” of its turbocharger. Passing first Wroclaw, then Katowice and Krakow, on the immaculate yet boring motorway, known as one of Ukraine’s life lines, all arrived at a hotel not too far from the border. Seated in the banquet hall, plans were made for the potentially tricky, read bureaucratic, vehicle export procedure, and to end the day with a good night’s rest. In the morning, everyone sat out in good spirits, looking forward to Lviv, a mere 250 kilometres away. Gijs meanwhile took a detour to Przemysl, where Wim had to park his private car until returning from Ukraine, set to continue in the Subaru Forester. In no time, Gijs and Wim arrived at the Polish immigration and customs control post on their own, passing the others who were still at the first customs booth a few kilometers before the border. They decided to regroup with the others on the other side later.

On the road towards Ukraine!

A country at war
With Gijs and Wim having passed the Polish controls with little further ado, two other cars and their drivers were not so lucky: EU regulations raised their ugly heads. Apparently, the air-conditioning units in both cars work with Freon, a harmful substance prohibited from commercial vehicle export. However, a clever solution was found right on the spot - Andrii and Viktor’s wife purchased the cars, so their export became a private, non-commercial affair. With everything rather conveniently settled, Gijs’ and Wim’s car refuses to start after being driven only 150 metres into Ukraine - likely a battery failure. Thankfully, two young Ukrainians waiting in the opposite queue towards Poland helped with push-starting the Subaru - however, for lack of a new battery, Gijs and Wim now had to keep the engine running all the way to Lviv. The roadside scenery changed - Orthodox Christian churches with shimmering golden roofs and cemeteries with too many Ukrainian flags pass by - a stark reminder of a country at war. A car service near the hotel where the convoy members are set to stay took care of the cars’ defects, with the service’s owner, Roman, insistent on not charging for the repairs - a sign of gratitude once he learned he was dealing with volunteers. Once almost everyone had arrived at the hotel in Lviv and settled in, the car enthusiasts began their shop talk, while the beer enthusiasts sampled the local brew. Gea and Sjirk arrived very late, having had to endure an incredible eight hours inspection at the Polish-Ukrainian border. Next morning, Roman was not open yet - so forward only it was to be. Andrii, the ever rebellious IT specialist, having grown up with too much Russian language and culture, contemplated re-programming the hotel’s coffee machine’s Russian on-screen instructions in Ukrainian or, as a fall-back option, in German.

Convoy to Kyiv
The journey from Lviv to Kyiv, via Rivne and Zhytomyr, usually takes about six hours, mostly on motorway style dual-carriageways, and thankfully, after the exceptionally hard winter, most potholes and cracks in the road surface had been fixed. At first, Gijs found driving on motorways that allow for u-turns, pickled vegetable sellers, and bus stops rather peculiar, also noticing that all village and city signs conveniently featured Kyrillic and Latin writing. He was also surprised not to see much military traffic, save for some buses transporting soldiers, or roadside destruction. Soon, the Ukrainian style of driving became all too apparent, with several traffic accidents, as Kyiv drew closer. Gijs learned that in Ukraine, the number of traffic deaths per year equals that of civilian war casualties. Once having arrived in central Kyiv, everyone became aware of the danger from above citizens face on a daily basis - all installed the Air-Alarm app that features Mark Hamill’s voice of Luke Skywalker fame, but were told in due time about its uselessness in case of ballistic missile strikes that leave simply no time to shelter. The group stayed in a hotel that classified itself as a military facility. Gijs noticed first hand how in Kyiv, and in fact most of Ukraine, wartime and peacetime life coincide - quality restaurants continue operating, citizens rally for political concerns, while anti-drone and missile defences try doing their job as best as they can. After enjoying an exceptional Italian evening meal, the atmosphere suddenly changed, with Telegram channels warning of imminent ballistic missile strikes, and the streets rapidly emptying. Several convoy members decided to spend the night in the hotel’s deep Soviet-era air-raid shelter, with Gijs headed there, too.

The handover
Entering the shelter by the light of his smartphone, Gijs soon discovered the shelter to be a maze of rooms, interconnected with low-ceilinged corridors, each room crammed full with a varying assortment of formerly grand chairs, sofas, mattresses, and makeshift beds. Everything felt cold, cramped, and very much improvised, with some people already sleeping, and others still arriving, conversing in hushed voices. At last, Gijs found sleep, only to be woken again at 3 am, wondering if a strike had taken place. Thankfully, it turned out to be a false alarm. In the morning, the mood soured - the T4, already lacking most of its gears while inching towards Kyiv the day before, had finally broken down entirely. A debate ensued regarding how to deal with the vehicle. After all, it is easy and cheap to have old cars repaired in Ukraine, also by the military, and, once deployed to the front lines, they don’t last long anyway, perhaps three months on average. Ultimately, UAO advised to have the T4 readied for delivery, for these exact reasons.

Ready to be given to our units.

Dyakuyu
The group’s final day in Kyiv begins at the Maidan, where they observe the daily minute of silence, see memorials to Ukrainians and foreign volunteers killed in the war. Unexpectedly joined by a group of soldiers, they meet Mykhailo of the 93rd Brigade, who survived a shot through his neck during the 2014 Maidan protests, and has been fighting ever since. For the first time, Gijs and the others drive in a proper convoy to a secure location, where they formally hand over the cars to the Ukrainian military, including small gifts brought from the Netherlands. Commander Antoni profusely expresses his gratitude, emphasizing that the volunteers’ physical presence in Ukraine matters as much as the cars themselves. The handover became nothing less than the emotional climax of the mission; the ensuing “contest” of expressing gratitude was humbling, making some volunteers feel awkward.

Later, the volunteers visited the Dutch embassy, where a diplomat praised their initiative but warned that such aid missions conflict with official travel advice and are better left to professionals. V4U founder Edwin rebuffed him that civilian aid remains a key part of Ukraine’s support network. As the group began to disperse, ordinary Ukrainians continued to respond warmly to their efforts: A Kyiv souvenir saleswoman enthusiastically thanked Gijs, after learning he is a volunteer, while a former Ukrainian soldier, now taxi driver, voiced his frustration that his country is so dependent on international support. Once on the train back to Lviv, Gijs met Viktoria, a former Russian teacher whose life has been disrupted by the war and whose family is scattered across Ukraine. Via Google Translate, she speaks of her travels and holiday plans, undismayed, sharing food with Gijs as a sign of gratitude, resilience, and, above all, human connection.

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