United to win: Danish mayor spends autumn vacation driving vehicle to Kyiv for Ukrainian military
The mayor of the Danish municipality Høje-Taastrup, Michael Ziegler, delivered a Citroën Jumpy to Kyiv for the Ukrainian Armed Forces during his autumn vacation. Photo: berlingske.dk
The mayor of the Danish municipality Høje-Taastrup, Michael Ziegler, joined a volunteer trip to Ukraine during his autumn vacation and drove a Citroën Jumpy vehicle to Kyiv for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He visited Bucha, saw the consequences of Russian bombings, and went down to the shelter three times in one night due to air raid alarms.
According to Rubryka, the official spoke to the Danish publication Berlingske about his trip and impressions from his stay in Ukraine.
As Ziegler noted, this was his first time joining the volunteer organization Biler til Ukraine ("Cars for Ukraine"), which delivers transport to the Ukrainian military. After learning about the initiative, he offered himself as a driver.
Approximately a month later, a spot opened up for a trip during the autumn break. The mayor hesitated because of the potential danger, but after speaking with his loved ones, he decided to go.
He explained that he wanted to do more than just talk about supporting Ukraine in safe Denmark. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the Høje-Taastrup municipality has welcomed about 400 Ukrainian refugees.
Twice a year, the mayor addresses them—on Ukraine's Independence Day and on the anniversary of the full-scale war.
"What makes these speeches different from others is that you can see the pain they carry inside. Many have tears in their eyes," Ziegler said.
The road to Kyiv and night alarms
The Danish mayor traveled in a group of volunteers who delivered ten cars in total. There were two drivers in each car, and some participants already had experience with such trips.
After approximately 500 kilometers of driving, Ziegler began noticing cemeteries with Ukrainian flags near the graves of fallen soldiers. And 80 kilometers from Kyiv, GPS navigators stopped working. According to him, this was related to signal jamming by Ukrainian air defense during air attacks. Therefore, the cars moved close to one another with hazard lights on.
Photo source: berlingske.dk
After handing over the vehicle in Kyiv, where the delivery address is not disclosed, the mayor visited Bucha and the Lukianivka neighborhood, which suffered from bombings.
At the hotel, air raid sirens sounded three times in one night. Each time, Ziegler walked down the stairs from the 11th floor to the basement. During one of the descents, he heard distant explosions.
"Even if people live the ordinary life of a big city, a heavy burden still hangs over it. I don't know how they endure it into the fifth year when lying in bed and hearing the alarm for the third time in one night," he said.
Biler til Ukraine continues to deliver transport for the Ukrainian military. As of September 2026, the organization has transferred 952 cars to Ukraine. The next trip was set to be the thousandth in terms of the number of delivered vehicles.
At the Kyiv hotel, Ziegler also met volunteers from Finland representing a similar initiative.
"If such initiatives exist in all European countries where good people do what they can, it still makes a difference," the Danish mayor concluded.
Background
It should be noted that in Lviv, British volunteers from Mighty Convoy delivered another batch of vehicles for the Ukrainian military and humanitarian needs. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the team has completed 26 convoys to Ukraine and delivered 111 vehicles in total.
