200 packages of infusion equipment for Odesa – Interview with Valerio Krüger, Spokesman of the ISHR Board

In March 2025, you were already in Ukraine on an aid mission, and now again in October 2025. What was the reason for this trip? How was the trip?

At dawn on September 29, we started with two vans in Cottbus. These were loaded with 200 packages of infusion equipment for the Regional Children’s Hospital in Odesa and with further medical aid for a hospital near Kharkiv. Jens Leisenberg had packed the transporter with the help of many Ukrainians who had fled from Cottbus. Jens Leisenberg is an ISHR member and has already brought aid transports to Ukraine over 30 times. Our first stop was Sokal, a city in western Ukraine near the border with Poland. Back in March, we also brought an aid transport to Sokal to the Caritas station there.

In March, Sylvia Wähling, ISHR member and former employee in the International Secretariat of the ISHR, accompanied us. Now she was not directly involved, but she was instrumental in making this transport possible. She was in contact with the medical company from Austria, which had handed over the large donation in kind (infusion equipment) worth 85,000 euros to us. And also important to mention is the support of the Human Rights Center Cottbus, where the things were temporarily stored and from where many donations were raised. So now the transport was on the agenda and a second driver was needed for a second vehicle, so I came into play. The journey was long and exhausting and on site my first night awaited me with air alarms, drones in the sky and anti-aircraft fire.

Due to necessary bureaucracy around customs, logistics and procurement of the X-ray machine, we stayed two days in Sokal at the local Caritas station and then drove on to Odesa. We arrived there after 16 hours of driving through the south of Ukraine at around 11 p.m. Odesa was still marked by the flood disaster caused by storms in the previous days, entire streets were under water. At night, we were woken up by the Luftalaram, the drones that could then be heard, which headed for targets in Odesa and the anti-aircraft fire. The next day we were able to unload the infusion equipment at the children’s hospital and exchange ideas with the medical team, who thanked all supporters of the ISHR very much. Afterwards, we went directly towards Kyiv.

We arrived there the next day, visited the ISHR office in Kyiv and met with Anton Alekseev, the director of the ISHR section Ukraine and other ISHR activists. In Kyiv, we parted ways: Jens Leisenberg drove on to Kharkiv and unloaded the remaining relief supplies at the hospital. The transporter also remained there, because it is to be used in the future to evacuate and care for seriously injured people from areas near the active war front. I drove back to Germany via Sokal.

Jens Leisenberg with a nurse from the children’s hospital in Odesa © ISHR

German and Ukrainian ISHR members © ISHR

ISHR Section Ukraine in Kyiv © ISHR

In principle, the war is present everywhere, although the effects are different: in the border area there are military posts on the streets; you can also see many soldiers on the streets. Under the cover of darkness at night, military transports are on their way. In general, the majority of people go about their everyday lives: the children go to school, you have to shop, people go to work. Despite the heavy attacks on Kyiv, shops and markets opened normally in the morning.

At 9 o’clock in the morning, a kind of gong sounds in the streets, comparable to a stick that is hit on the ground several times in succession. A minute of silence is then held for the fallen of this war, not to be overlooked and overheard near schools and public institutions. In every city and village, photos of the fallen soldiers of the respective place are placed in central places. In Lviv, countless pictures and names line an entire wing of the Garrison Church. The fallen of the war in Donbass since 2014 are also commemorated there. It is shocking to see these many faces.

Did you see war-related destruction during your trip? Were rural places just as affected as cities?

It was only in Odesa that I saw an apartment destroyed by a drone attack for the first time. It’s not like you see destroyed houses everywhere in the west or center of Ukraine; in the east of the country, however, entire villages and towns have been devastated. While we were spending the night in Odesa, there had been an attack by 22 Iranian-Russian Shahed/Geran drones. The next day we could see some video footage of the attacked targets on social media, it was civilian infrastructure that was attacked. The constant threat and rapid frequency of successive air alerts naturally affect people’s psyches, but as a rule, they do not react with fear and panic every time. In Odesa in particular , Russian troops attack the city almost daily, as macabre as it is, but most people accept this as a new everyday life.

Their primary destination was the Regional Children’s Hospital in Odesa. What message/request did you take with you from the hospital?

In Odesa, we registered at the children’s hospital through a nurse friend. She then mobilized her team; and suddenly ten people from the medical service were ready to unload the vans. In addition to the current help, she and her team have also expressed their sincere thanks for the delivery of the medical material in recent years. Among other things, this has made 4,000 operations possible in recent years. Unfortunately, it was not possible to help in all cases. A year ago, for example, a 4-year-old child was seriously injured in a bombing raid with cluster bombs, and suturing materials for internal organs were needed. Due to the dangerous situation, Jens Leisenberg was able to provide the child with the materials with the aid transport at the time, but unfortunately it was too late, unfortunately it did not survive. We already have a long history with the hospital.

In total, the regional children’s hospital takes care of the children of the entire Odesa region (district). It also takes care of children who are evacuated from areas close to the front and are cared for by the hospital. Power outages disrupt hospital operations time and time again, but this can be mastered thanks to a power generator. The chief physician reported that more and more sick people prefer to stay at home for fear of drone attacks and only come to the hospital when the degree of illness has worsened unbearably or the clinical picture is already clearly pronounced, which is dangerous for those affected.

Another goal was the meeting with members of the Ukrainian ISHR section in Kyiv. What was the basic mood among the members? What did you learn about the current work of the section? What message/request did you bring back from the section?

The war was a central topic, but it did not fully determine our conversations. The team has been living in this situation for three years and lives their everyday lives as best they can. The Section will soon start a new project to promote the rule of law, together with anti-corruption authorities of the Supreme Anti-Corruption Court, in which court proceedings will be monitored and checked for correctness. This project was developed together with the German section and is financially supported by the Federal Foreign Office this year and next. There was enough to discuss. Currently, the selection process for students who will accompany the court proceedings with the ISHR team was pending.

As far as the war is concerned, we have also heard critical tones about the men in their own country who are no longer allowed to leave Ukraine after a certain age. Of course, people also suffer from the fact that they can be drafted if coercive measures are used. This is one of the unpleasant side effects: although the people all stand behind their country, the possible front-line deployment is understandably a burden for individuals. Overall, our discussions were characterized by mutual interest with a positive attitude. The Ukrainian ISHR members, there were only three people on this day, inquired vividly about the situation in other sections and especially in the office in Frankfurt. They would like to see more mutual exchange and are in favour of further encounters.

How is Ukrainian President Zelensky’s travel diplomacy viewed?

That was not a defining issue. Major political issues were not the subject of our talks. If so, it was about the help of Germany and Europe and the USA, but even there the people are relatively serene, but also say very clearly: If you do nothing, then the war will come to you.

What message would you like to convey to German politics as a result of your encounters?

The people of Ukraine are determined and united in the fight for their existence; it is not about political details. People used to speak Russian and Ukrainian with each other without any problems; many people who used to speak only Russian and do not yet know Ukrainian continue to speak Russian, but some also consciously learn Ukrainian and try to avoid the Russian language, but these are subjective decisions. They know that Putin wants to take away their existence and their identity.

Ukraine continues to be an open-minded, European-friendly country. Ukrainians embody the struggle for freedom like hardly any other country in the world. My message to the German government: Support Ukraine with everything possible; ends all business with Russia, because Russia finances its military expenditures from all revenues. Russia’s threats make it clear that they see not only Ukraine as part of the new Russia, but also other states. Promote the unity and stability of Europe!

The interview was conducted by Karl Hafen with Valerio Krüger on 25.10.2025.

Jens Leisenberg with a nurse from the children’s hospital in Odesa © ISHR

Jens Leisenberg with a nurse from the children’s hospital in Odesa © ISHR