PRZEMYSL,
PATRIOTS
&
PAINTINGS
JUNE 16-19
MAURITS & PETER
A DRIVE TO THE POLISH-UKRAINIAN BORDER
WITH SUPPLY OF GOODS TO MEDYKA
AND UKRAINIANS BACK TO HOLLAND
There is little I can do when it comes to the war in Ukraine. But the decision to do something, to help the Ukrainian people was an easy one. I have a car, a drivers license and some free time. The organisation On My Way UA (omwua.com) is facilitating both the placement of refugees as well as coordinating who get’s to go with us to Holland. The only thing I have to do is drive. 2 days there and 2 days back to the Netherlands.
The below 3 pictures characterises a 4-day trip to the Ukrainian border. A Ukrainian refugee in Przemysl - Poland, NATO operated patriots aimed eastwards and a painting by Leonora Yanko depicting a deceased mother and her child with the title “I’m fine Mama”. Devastation, decisiveness and dedication: words to describe the situation the Ukrainian people are facing and in which we should not be bystanders but actively help.
PECUNIA
HELP WITH HELP FROM OTHERS.
Driving 4 people (8 in total together with another driver) to Holland means one night in a hotel somewhere.
Payment for the hotel and meals for ourselves is up to us, so finding a sponsor was relevant to cover the cost for the refugees.
I was happy to find someone to help and with a generous offer to cover the cost of all lodging and food for the Ukrainians we were on our way.
01
THANK YOU SPONSOR !
ANONYMOUS FOR NOW
BUT VERY MUCH APPRECIATED
FOR OUR NEXT TRIP WE ARE STILL REQUIRING FUNDS.
ON THE LAST PAGE THERE IS AN OPTION TO DONATE.
EVEN A SMALL CONTRIBUTION IS APPRECIATED.
Supercharger Vuren
02
PETROL
A HELPING HAND FROM TESLA.
Having a Tesla with the so called free-supercharging means petrol is not required. Just a matter of finding superchargers, making sure that destinations can be reached with sufficient energy to reach a supercharger again and of course planning.
That's what you need to do when you drive an EV. The European charger-network from Tesla is fairly dense so we could reach Medyka on the Ukrainian border without any reason for range-anxiety.
Fuel would have cost me roughly € 550,- so part of the cost of trip have been ‘sponsored’ by Tesla for which I’d like to thank them.
PETER
NO NONSENSE COMMITMENT TO THE CAUSE
I met Peter on an earlier trip to Poznan with humanitarian aid being brought to Poland while on the way back helping refugees to get to Holland where they have a safe place to stay.
We stayed in touch and when he told me he had made a trip to the border I proposed to join on the next run. That happend to be on the weekend of 16 to 19th of June.
We left Thursday morning and met at the supercharger in Vuren. Without too much hassle we arrived in Delden where we picked up a passenger who needed to get back to Kiev for some paperwork.
03
04
Supercharger Bissendorf
PLANNING
RANGE-ANXIETY IS IN YOUR HEAD.
First stop to charge was Bissendorf in Germany. With something to eat and of course coffee.
From there is was a short drive to Lehre. This is where we met drivers from Teslawensrit, which is an organisation that drives to Poznan and back.
Catching up with what was happening while the cars were charging.
The next stop would be Blankenflede, under Berlin where we planned to have an early dinner and charge for the drive into Poland.
PROBLEM
WHY ON EARTH ?
Arriving at the hotel in Ilowa Peter didn’t really feel comfortable with the so called SoC (state of charge). Any Tesla has what is called an UMC. This allows you to charge at 220 volt or a 3-phase outlet. It's slow but you get approx 30% charge during the night.
There was a socket in the gatehouse so we plugged in. Nothing happend. No earthing. Where is a socket that has properly been wired? I have a 50 meter extension cord so we rolled it out and with the help of the receptionist we literally tried almost every socket on the ground floor of the hotel. Including a 3-phase normally used for the oven. Nowhere sockets had been earthed.
Peter’s problem had to be postponed to the next day.
05
Hotel in Ilowa - Poland
DAY 1
HOLLAND - ILOWA
For the EV owners some data from Teslafi, an API and website that tracks the car and it’s charging.
Kilometers driven : 897
Kilometers used : 851
Efficiency : 105%
Time driven : 9:15 hours
kWh used : 166 kWh
kWh added 135 kWh
Charging time : 2:43 hours
Leonora showing her painting
06
PAINTINGS
IMAGES OF INFLICTED SUFFERING
The next morning we enjoyed an outside breakfast on a nice quiet cool morning.
Walking to our cars we got a question from one of the hotel-guests. Why do you have a sticker with the Ukrainian flag in the shape of a heart on your cars?
After our explanation she thanked us profusely and invited us to see her paintings. It turned out that she and her lady friend were artists from Ukraine on their way to Berlin for an art exhibition. To raise awarness and money.
She showed us their paintings which of course had subjects related to the war and its impact on the country, its society, the cities, the environment and the Ukrainian people.
PERSPECTIVES
DEVASTATION & DISPAIR
Two paintings had quite an impact.
‘I’m fine, Mama’ depicts a deceased mother with her child saying I’m fine mama. According to the painter Leonora Yanko it relates to all the Ukrainian women that are suffering but always will be supportive, selfless and strong. A dark picture with a troubling theme.
The other one (Bucha District) made by Lero Litvinova shows bodies in a cornfield referencing to the bread and butter of a lot of Ukrainians and others as well as the devastation currently being strewn over the country.
A third one, also made by Lera Litvinova and called 'Harvest' shows farmfields riddled with bombcraters.
For more information see the instagram page @leonoragallery
07
I'm fine, Mama - Mariupol by Leonora Yanko, 2022 ®
Bucha District by Lera Litvinova, 2022 ®
'Harvest' by Lera Litvinova, 2022 ®
08
PRICE
TO SUPPORT UKRAINIANS
Leonora has told me that the paintings are for sale and that 50% will go the people who fight at the front.
Feel free to reach out to her if you’re interested in purchasing one.
For more information see
www.llitvinova.com
PROGRESS
DRIVING EAST THROUGH POLAND
Leaving Ilowa we headed for Wroclaw where we charged to get to Katowice. Peters worry of not making it was unnecessary as he arrived with 11 km still to go.
The last stop before Przemysl was Rzeszow. We ate some early dinner in the adjacent hotel but had to skip a beer as Przemysl and Medyka would still be an hour-and-a-half further.
In Rzeszow there are only 4 chargers and one of them wasn’t working so we encountered a somewhat annoyed Polish Tesla owner when we returned to the cars. He changed his tone somewhat when he learned what we were doing and accepted his fate of waiting some more.
09
Supercharger Wroclaw
Patriots armed and aiming east
10
PATRIOTS
ARMED AND AIMED EASTWARDS.
We’ve all seen the pictures on TV. Weaponry that creates tremendous destruction and causes incredible devastation.
But seeing them up close, active and pointing east close to the Ukrainian border left me shocked. Europe is once again at war. With a Russian version of a modern day Hitler this time.
I felt uncomfortable with the sight of large numbers of patriots and military activity that indicated some higher-ups consider the situation serious enough to gear up on readiness and alertness.
PARTISANS
RFU2022.ORG
Once arrived in the border-town Medyka we delivered the goods we brought with us, Socks for the army and pasta for the people. It ended up being stored in the garage of a normal house which was the home for Russian partisans (rfu2022.org).
A rough bunch being led by a former Russian army lieutenant that would drive the stuff to the Ukraine. A trip scheduled for that night or next day. Across the border that is just one-and-a-half kilometer further down the road.
After a coffee and a chat we left for our hotel just outside of Premysl. All hotels there are fully booked with all the humanitarian aid workers helping with the refugees disaster currently unfolding in the area.
11
Unloading in Medyka
PUTIN
A RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE.
12
Once we had arrived at our destination in Medyka the people from rfu2022 helped us to unload the socks and pasta.
One of the volunteers was wearing a t-shirt with a clear message for her president.
I expressed an interest and after a quick
e-mail I got a call later that night.
For a small contribution to their cause I’m now the proud owner of the same shirt.
I’m not sure wearing it often would be considered appropriate but at least once on our next trip to the border is a given.
POSTSTAMP
PROUD OF PUTTING ONE DOWN
After arrival in the hotel we sat down and had a beer and a chat about the next day, how to plan and where to stay. A girl, sitting at the next table with her parents, approached us and asked if we were the owners of the Teslas parked outside. Hearing the story about the help we’d be given to her fellow countrymen the next day she thanked us for what we do and told us she’d have a gift for us. Upon return she handed us a stamp. A special stamp celebrating the sinking of the Moskva back in April.
Reflecting on this it is clear that even our small effort is being recognised and considered valuable. With that thought we went to bed to get some sleep for an in no doubt demanding and long day ahead of us.
13
The special commemorative stamp celebrating the sinking of the Russian flagship 'Moskva'.
(With a limited print the stamp has become a collectors item already.)
DAY 2
ILOWA - MEDYKA / PRZEMYSL
The Teslafi data for the second day
Kilometers driven : 746
Kilometers used : 683
Efficiency : 109%
Time driven : 8:37 hours
kWh used : 133 kWh
kWh added 146 kWh
Charging time : 2:33 hours
14
Refugee location Przemysl
PASSENGERS
FACING THE UNKNOWN
Friday started early with breakfast and coffee. After a short stop at the Lidl in town for some supplies we reported to the drivers office at the Przemysl-site for a document check.
With everything being OK we were guided to the entrance of the temporary housing building to meet Debbie, Irene & Mark; the omwua-team in Przemysl, translators and our passengers. 6 Adults and 2 small boys. From Gherson, Zaporizhzhia and Domanivka.
Because we als had to bring a wheelchair for an older lady who had been wounded I had to fit quite some suitcases in the trunk.
My guests were a 74 year old male, the father of the 2 boys which were with their mother in Peter’s car, a 55 year old woman and a 48 year old men.
This was the first time I had male passengers. The previous 3 trips to Poznan there were only women and children.
POSSESSIONS
"WHAT YOU CAN CARRY."
Every time I have driven refugees I’ve always been surprised how little possessions people bring.
When we go on holiday we can barely fit our luggage for four people in the car. Hence we also have a roof-rack and a box.
The passengers carry one or two bags with their belongings and every time all their stuff has fitted in the car.
Some of them have shared that all they have is what they carry on their backs so to say. It was shocking to learn that for one family the bags in the back of the car was literally all they have as their apartment in Mariupul was completely destroyed by missiles from Putin’s people.
15
Supercharger Lehre
DAY 3
PRZEMYSL - ZAGAN
The Teslafi data for the third day
Kilometers driven : 732
Kilometers used : 802
Efficiency : 91%
Time driven : 7:24 hours
kWh used : 156 kWh
kWh added 157 kWh
Charging time : 2:48 hours
Supercharger Katowice - north
16
PERCENTAGES
GETTING THERE WITH MARGIN
The way back requires a little bit more attention when it comes to range and percentages. The weight of the car has increased and the trouble to charge somewhere outside the supercharger network is somewhat bigger as there is a schedule to keep when it comes to arriving at the hotel on time and reaching Holland at a reasonable hour when we drop them off at their hosts.
But as said did we do some planning and everything went according to plan although Peter was a bit anxious to get to Deventer with enough charge. But catching the slipstream of a large truck solved his problem.
I wasn’t really into it because doing 85 km/h behind a stinking lorry isn’t my cup-of-tea.
PARTICIPANTS
THE PEOPLE - THEIR DESTINATION
Once in the Netherlands the 48 year old man and the single lady were transferred to a so called last mile driver from the organisation.
Vladimir who lives in Holland is originally from the Ukraine and agreed to drive both of them to Utrecht.
We handed them over in Deventer where an emotional goodbye separated us from each other.
Our next stop would be Schijndel.
17
Supercharger Deventer
18
PLEADINGS
DOING LITTLE BUT NOT ENOUGH
In Schijndel we would be unloading almost all of our passengers,
The injured lady would meet her daughter there, the family with the boys would meet their last mile driver with destination Horst while Peter would take the 74-year old men to Breda.
Turning into the street where the daughter lived we were greeted by a cheering crowd of Dutch and Ukrainian people. Peter’s front door was almost yanked from the car by the daughter to get to her mother.
To my surprise I was suddenly surrounded by 4 or 5 Ukrainian ladies who were all speaking into their mobile phone for a translation of their plea. "My mother is still over there, can you bring her as well." And other heartbreaking stories where shared with the help of an app on their phones.
A difficult moment for both them and myself as I couldn't give them the answers they wanted to hear.
PASSPORT
WHAT PEOPLE THINK.
The end of the day turned out to have a surprise. Peter had dropped of the older gentlemen in Breda where he told he did not have a passport. Never had one.
I told Peter that I saw his passport in his breast pocket when we left the charger in Lehre so I didn’t believe him.
Apparently he believed that things would be easier if he showed up without a passport.
Nothing is further from the truth so we agreed that we would double check the passports or ask the OMWUA-team in Przemysl to do this as bringing Ukrainians to Holland without a passport is not what we signed-up for.
19
Przemysl - Medyka : 10 km long waiting line to cross the border
DAY 4
ZAGAN - HOLLAND
The Teslafi data for the fourth day
Kilometers driven : 906
Kilometers used : 944
Efficiency : 95%
Time driven : 8:53 hours
kWh used : 184 kWh
kWh added 171 kWh
Charging time : 2:53 hours
From this data you can see that charging at the so called V3-chargers (250 kW) has a noticeable impact on chargingtimes.
The picture below, taken in Przemysl on the day of our departure says it all. A young adult facing dependency of humanitarian aid in a foreign country while her life is turned upside down, her country destroyed and her future evaporated.
It is shocking to experience up close and even though we can do little, what we can do is greatly appreciated by those in need. Those who depend on the help of fellow humans in these uncertain, unstable and upsettling times.
20
PERSPECTIVE II
WHAT IF IT WAS YOU ?
Parkinglot in Przemysl - Poland
PATRON
MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE WITH A SMALL AMOUNT
21
Our next trip to Medyka and Przemysl was in the weekend of 28 to 31th of July.
I would like to ask you to help me and make a small contribution Even € 2,50 or € 5,- will help to provide for food and lodging of the refugees.
Please click on the link or scan the QR-code and donate a small amount (or bigger, which in this case is better).
You can also use PayPal.
Or you can transfer through Bunq-bank.
We pay our own cost and I will use the donations to pay for beverages, snacks, toilet use, meals and hotelrooms of the passengers.
Upon return I will again write a 'blog' about the trip and experiences.
If you have any questions feel free to mail me at ukraine@rerunstrategy.nl
THANK YOU !
For Dutch people scan with your camera or QR-code reader
Or click on the link below
For International donations please use
Balance
For a trip bringing 8 Ukrainians to Holland we (Peter & I) need about € 1.000,- to cover for the cost of food and lodging.
The current balance is € 365,- [ July 23rd - 16:00 hours ]
Anonymous
If you wish to make an 'anonymous' donation please follow this link. 'Anonymous'
Unfortunately does the omwua-foundation not have an ANBI status. The registration has been submitted.
Maurits JC de Jong
Herwijnen / Przemysl / Medyka
June 2022
Image sources:
Maurits & Peter
Leonora Yanko & Lera Litvinova
