Poles have already raised 500,000 zlotys for buses for Vinnytsia

More than six thousand residents of Poland raised 500 thousand zlotys in four days for the purchase of buses for Vinnytsia. The campaign was launched by volunteers after the transfer of used transport from the Polish city of Kielce was threatened due to a political dispute over the name of one of the streets in Vinnytsia. This is reported by ZAXID.NET.

Poles funded buses for Vinnytsia in four days

The fundraising was organized by the Polish charity foundation «Sikorki na Ukrainie», which has been supporting Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale war.

The campaign was held under the slogan «Politicians block, while we move forward». In four days, volunteers managed to raise the full amount - 500 thousand zlotys, which at the current rate exceeds 6 million hryvnias.

The foundation stated that they want to show that public solidarity is stronger than political disputes.

«Let’s show them that while they are spewing foam from their mouths at city council sessions, we are just working hard to help people survive this madness», the organizers of the fundraising noted.

Why the dispute over the buses arose

The story began after the mayor of Vinnytsia, Serhii Morgunov appealed to the Polish city of Kielce requesting the transfer of 15 decommissioned Solaris buses.

It concerned 17-year-old diesel vehicles with a mileage of about one million kilometers, which were decommissioned after updating the fleet with electric buses.

Two city council deputies from Kielce representing the «Law and Justice» party opposed the transfer. The reason was the existence of a street named after Stepan Bandera in Vinnytsia. The politicians demanded its renaming, linking the issue to the memory of the victims of the Volhynia tragedy.

After public outcry, the mayor of Vinnytsia withdrew the request for the transfer of transport.

What the raised funds will be used for

Now, volunteers plan to independently purchase buses for the Ukrainian city. If they cannot implement this project for independent reasons, the funds will be directed to protect civilians from Russian air attacks.

In addition, the foundation intends to purchase two or three inexpensive used cars for the needs of the Vinnytsia veterans hospital.

In Vinnytsia, buses are especially important due to regular threats of electricity outages. The backbone of the city transport system consists of trams and trolleybuses, whose operation depends on electricity supply.