United to win: Canadian veteran cycles from Krakow to Kyiv to raise funds for Ukraine’s armed forces

On August 26, Jakob Kepka, a Canadian of Polish origin, arrived in Ternopil on his bicycle journey from Krakow to Kyiv. He hopes to gather donations for the prosthetics of Ukrainian soldiers who have been injured in the war.

The Ternopil City Council reports this.

Jakob Kepka, a former soldier and the creator of the charitable project "Hope Raising Expedition," had his leg amputated above the knee. He is currently embarking on a bike trip from Krakow to Kyiv to raise funds for Ukrainian defenders who have been injured in the war.

^{Jakob Kepka / Facebook HopeRaising Expedition – Jakob Kepka}

The route runs through six Polish cities as well as Ukrainian cities such as: Yavoriv, ​​Lviv, Ternopil, Rivne, Zviahel, Zhytomyr, Borodianka, Bucha, Irpin, and Kyiv.

"My main mission is to support defenders. After all, I understand what a difficult situation such people can have initially. Also, the route of my trip can be adjusted, so if there is a need for a meeting and support in some cities, I will gladly do it and get there to support people," the volunteer says.

For reference:

The BikesForUkraine movement has resulted in over 1,800 bicycles being donated from different countries to communities in Ukraine that have been impacted by war. Rubryka will detail the inspiration behind this project and its functioning.

For two years, the international campaign was supported by 84 #BikesForUkraine ambassadors from 18 countries: cycling communities and clubs, public organizations, bicycle businesses, global and European institutions from Ukraine, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Lithuania, Croatia, and other countries.

The issue of delivering a large batch of bicycles from the USA, collected as part of the #BikesForUkraine campaign, is open — help is needed with delivery to Kyiv from the port in Lithuania.

In addition, Kristo Enn Vaga, who is a member of the Estonian parliament, rode his bike from Tallinn to Rivne in less than a week. He traveled over one thousand kilometers during his trip. As he rode, he collected donations for Ukraine's military.

Earlier, the mayor of the Norwegian city of Sokndal, Jonas Andersen Sayed, made an 11-day cycling tour to the village of Zaliztsi in the Ternopil region, during which he collected 545,000 hryvnias for the Ukrainian military's needs.