On Thursday, February 19, 2026, the City of Toronto transferred five municipal vehicles to its sister city, Kyiv, as part of an ongoing humanitarian support effort for Ukraine. The donation included two ambulances designated for paramedic services and three additional vehicles for municipal operations.
Vikram Chawla, Chief of Toronto Paramedic Services, emphasized that the initiative reflects a broader commitment by the City of Toronto to assist Ukraine during a time of critical need. He expressed pride in the service’s history of international support and its continued capacity to provide aid when it matters most.
The donated vehicles will support emergency response and recovery efforts in Kyiv, which continues to face severe impacts from missile and drone strikes. In addition to the vehicles, the donation includes five generators intended to help mitigate electricity, water, and heating outages caused by damage to critical infrastructure.
Oleh Nikolenko, Consul General of the Consulate General of Ukraine in Toronto, noted that over the four years since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Toronto has donated a total of 17 vehicles to Kyiv. He expressed gratitude to the Mayor of Toronto and to BCU Financial for their consistent partnership and practical support.
The vehicle transfer was facilitated through a collaboration between the Consulate, the BCU Foundation, and the BCU Financial Group. Damian Snih, CEO of BCU Financial, noted that this marks the second such initiative carried out jointly with the Consulate. He reaffirmed the organization’s long-standing commitment to humanitarian efforts, stating: “BCU Financial and BCU Foundation stand with Ukraine and with our brothers and sisters there until victory.”
This coordinated effort reflects the continued solidarity of the City of Toronto, the Ukrainian diplomatic mission, and the Ukrainian-Canadian community in supporting Ukraine’s resilience, recovery, and defense of its people and infrastructure.
Photo: Ania Jacyniak
Nadia Gereliouk
