Written by William Hale
Former Republican Congressman Duncan D. Hunter, who served in the House from 2009 to 2020 representing the 52nd and 50th districts, is currently in Poland facilitating the transmission of military aid to Ukrainian refugees.
“…what we are going to try to do is help with cross-border traffic as the Russians tighten the noose around Kyiv and around different cities…” said Hunter in an interview with KUSI News.
With one month having passed since Putin and the Russians invaded Ukraine, many experts have suggested that the Ukrainians are exceeding expectations with their level of resiliency. However, it only took approximately a week for the mayor of Kyiv to say that his city was surrounded by the Russians, later retracting the statement.
Despite the fog of war, one thing is clear: millions of Ukrainians have been displaced and are migrating to countries such as Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Moldova, and Poland. On March 16th, the UN estimated that 1,916,445 Ukrainian refugees have been taken in by Poland.
“There’s a log jam at the border in Poland because it’s really difficult to get this stuff in, even right now… because the Russians will hit anything they see if it’s easily seen,” said Hunter in regard to supplying body armor, night-vision goggles, ammunition, and medicine to the Ukrainians.
Hunter also said that getting gear from Poland and other countries to Ukraine is a “fluid and dynamic situation,” telling a KUSI reporter that a lot of helmets, vests, ballistic plates, and body armor from San Diego is sitting in warehouses on the border of Poland, but moving the material into Ukraine is the trickiest part.
When asked if there is anything San Diegans can do to help Ukrainians navigate the Russian invasion, Hunter referred the audience to UApulse.org.
Photo Cred: Czarek Sokolowski/AP
