Since the beginning of the war, Jörn Bertleff from Dorfen has been trying to help the Ukrainians with donations. Recently, he got into his car for the third time - and drove over 5000 kilometers across Ukraine.
Wolfratshausen/Dorfen – His mobile phone makes a long-drawn-out howl. Jörn Bertleff only takes a quick look at the display. "Air raid on Kyiv," says the Dorfener almost casually. For him, the warning is nothing new. "I keep the sound in my head. I can hear it sometimes, even if it doesn't strike at all."
Behind the 49-year-old lies a 5000-kilometer journey. He brought relief supplies across Ukraine. Stops were Brody, the friendship city of Wolfratshausen, Kharkiv and Kyiv (the Ukrainian spelling of Kiev, editor's note). It was not his first aid trip – and it should not be his last.
More than 5000 kilometers of travel: Dorfener brings relief supplies to Ukraine
The voice of Luke Skywalker from "Star Wars" speaks from his mobile phone. He urges citizens to move to a safe place – and warns all those who do not want to comply. with a movie quote: "Your overconfidence is your weakness". Skywalker actor Mark Hamill had lent his voice to the official air raid warning app "Air Alert". Ukrainians heard it more than 19,000 times in the first year of the war – according to the Associated Press news agency.
I also wanted to show them that they are not left alone, that we are there to help.
Jörg Bertleff on the motives for his trips to Ukraine.
Before his first Ukraine aid transport, Bertleff had downloaded the app. "At least you're better informed," Bertleff explains. Since the beginning of the war, he has been involved and tries to help with donations. "Putin has no business there," he says, explaining his motivation. "We are trying to bring everything that Ukrainians urgently need," he says. On his first trip, the Dorfener only got as far as the Polish-Ukrainian border for the time being. Vehicles were waiting there to transport the goods.
But Bertleff himself drove on. "I also wanted to show them that they are not left alone, that we are there to help." The first trip was in the fall of last year, the second at the turn of the year. What he saw and experienced – and how people treated him – was heartbreaking. "Strangers came up to me, shook my hand and told and showed me their stories." They showed him places that were once their home, their home.
Dorfener brings relief supplies to Ukraine: Since the beginning of the war, he has been trying to help with donations
Their houses, which are now in ruins. He spoke with Nikolai Mitus, who was seriously injured by a blast wave in an explosion. "His friend was shot by the Russians when he tried to stop tanks with his bare hand." The Dorfener witnessed an attack himself. "It was the day before New Year's Eve, we were having dinner. Behind the building was a small hill where children were playing." A loud bang interrupted the meal. A rocket hit. "One child died."
Strangers approached me, shook my hand and told and showed me their stories.
Jörg Bertleff on his impressions in Ukraine.
One family told him that when the siren sounds, their children automatically reach for their "survival bag", their survival bag with flashlight, water, a few pieces of clothing and some food, to go to the safe basement. "Something like this should not be the norm for any child," says the owner of a construction site heating company.
Bertleff has observed that the warning sound of the sirens is part of everyday life for many Ukrainians. "Not everyone goes to shelters immediately anymore. Many just make sure that they don't get hit by flying debris."
After his second trip, the Dorfener made contact with the Eastern European Aid of the districts of Starnberg, Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen and Munich. "On the one hand, to be able to get and transport things more effectively and to have someone who can and may issue donation receipts for companies and private individuals."
Aid for Ukraine: "There is no guarantee that aid transports will not be shelled"
The chemistry was right from the start. They decided to work more closely together. When Maria Reitinger, chairwoman of the Eastern European Aid, was able to buy three ambulances with donations, it was immediately clear to the 49-year-old that he would make himself available as a driver. And to go to Ukraine again.
"We split up, didn't go in a convoy." So the risk was smaller. And the chances that at least two cars will arrive are greater. "There is no guarantee that aid transports will not be fired upon." Therefore, as soon as he was in Ukraine, Bertleff reported his current location to his contacts in Ukraine – such as Christina Khariv in Kyiv or Andriy Gromjak in Brody – every 200 kilometers. "A lot can happen." The Dorfener knows this because he knows other volunteers through his commitment. Some of them are no longer alive, others are missing. "We never heard or saw anything from them again."
He doesn't seem to be afraid for himself. His family is only partially aware of his aid trips. "My sister is informed, my mother is not. She would worry too much."
+Handover of the goods: (from left) Miroslav Tumys, Andrij Gromjak, Jörn Bertleff and a helper in Brody.
© Private
On a Monday in May, Bertleff set off by ambulance, passing through Austria and Poland. He steered the ambulance to Brody. Andrij Gromjak, who had brought his family to safety in Schäftlarn shortly after the start of the war, was waiting there. The Isar Valley community is connected to Pidkamin in friendship, the Ukrainian has often driven delegations and children there and back home as a bus operator.
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Next stop was Kyiv, then Poltava and finally Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine, close to the border with Russia. Signs with skulls lined the path – they warned of mines and unexploded ammunition in fields, meadows and roadsides. And something else caught the 49-year-old's eye.
"The further you go, the greater the destruction." Bertleff clicks through the many photos on his mobile phone. They show bombed-out houses and schools, children playing in the rubble, bullet-ridden cars. Occasionally, toys and clothing lie between the remains of the wall. Someone put up some candles.
For Bertleff, it will not have been the last trip to Ukraine. "They are no strangers to me, they have faces, fates – and we must not leave them alone." Suddenly, the cell phone rings. Luke Skywalker gives the all-clear. The missile attack is over. He says goodbye with the most famous "Star Wars" quote. It should be encouraging. "May the force be with you." .sh
Info
If you would like to support the Eastern European Aid, you can donate to the following account: IBAN: DE97 7005 4306 0055 0035 60 (Sparkasse Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen)
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