As the Ukrainian academic community faces extraordinary humanitarian and infrastructure challenges, Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) organized a support campaign for its partner universities in the country. In total, more than €8,000 in financial aid was collected during the campaign, along with items that are currently in urgent demand.
Studies in Ukraine are being carried out under conditions of blackouts and air-raid alerts, while researchers are forced to work without access to laboratories and digital resources. Many students and staff have to manage displacement, volunteering, and caring for their families.
Taking all this into consideration, VMU invited people to show solidarity with Ukrainians not only by contributing financially, but also by donating inexpensive but currently essential items: from universal heaters and hand warmers to desk lamps and power banks. Some of the collected support, around 500 warm blankets, has already reached universities in Ukraine.
VMU has long been a partner of Ukrainian higher education institutions, supporting Ukrainians both who have relocated to Lithuania and who remain in their homeland. According to VMU Rector Prof. Dr. Ineta Dabašinskienė, this time it was decided to extend a helping hand to Ukraine’s academic community, which is currently facing particularly difficult conditions for work and study due to the war.
“Staff and students of Ukrainian universities are facing things that are difficult for many to comprehend. Their determination and strength are incredible. Our university, for which the values of freedom, community, and resilience are very important, feels a duty to support our colleagues. We hope that both financial support and blankets and other practical items will ease their daily lives, providing at least a bit more warmth, stability, and security,” noted the VMU Rector.
The initiative was also joined by Konstantin Gudauskas, a Kazakhstani citizen of Lithuanian origin, nicknamed the “Angel of Bucha,” who helped evacuate hundreds of Ukrainians from occupied territories to safe locations. For the second year now, he has been studying the Lithuanian language at Vytautas Magnus University, attending the Lithuanian Language and Culture Course. Currently, Gudauskas is actively organizing various support initiatives in Ukraine.
“Through centuries of struggle, our nations have carried forward what matters most: an unbreakable belief in freedom and a quiet devotion to brotherhood grounded in care rather than calculation,” said Gudauskas, who noted that he was glad to be part of such a warm initiative.
A battery for solar power systems will also be sent to the Mariupol State University in Ukraine. Such batteries are critically important, as they can ensure electricity for an entire building for 6–8 hours after a power outage. There are also plans to deliver autonomous charging stations EcoFlow to Lithuanian centers in Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Chernivtsi National University, and Dnipropetrovsk State University of Internal Affairs. Other VMU partner universities will be contacted regarding support as well.
The support and donated items are being delivered to Dnipropetrovsk State University of Internal Affairs, Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University, Simon Kuznets Kharkiv National University of Economics, Dnipro University of Technology, Sumy State University, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, and Mariupol State University.
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