First Batch of Polish City Buses Headed to Vinnytsia After Public Fundraise

The first batch of decommissioned Polish city buses is on its way to the Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia following a public fundraising campaign launched despite a political controversy over the countries’ shared WWII history. Three buses purchased from the southeastern city of Kielce have already been loaded onto transporters and sent to Vinnytsia, in west-central Ukraine, Poland’s state news agency PAP reported on Friday. JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. A total of 15 diesel-powered Solaris buses is scheduled to be delivered to the city in five batches of three by the end of September. The transport is being organized by Poland’s Government Strategic Reserve Agency (RARS). The buses were purchased through a fundraiser organized by the Polish foundation Sikorki na Ukrainie, which raised more than 620,000 zloty ($163,200) to secure the equipment. Political controversy Initially, Kielce authorities planned to donate 15 retired municipal buses to Vinnytsia, which is its partner city, the local branch of Polish national broadcaster TVP reported in June. However, the proposal was dropped following opposition from some local councilors after it emerged that one of Vinnytsia’s streets is named after Stepan Bandera, a Ukrainian nationalist leader during the World War II era. Bandera is regarded by some Ukrainians as a national hero for his role in the country’s struggle for independence. Other Topics of Interest US Base in Poland Sends Message to Putin, Security Expert Says A permanent US base in Poland would send a major message to Vladimir Putin, but should not replace troops elsewhere. In Poland, however, he is associated with the Volhynia massacres, in which Ukrainian nationalists killed tens of thousands of ethnic Poles during World War II. Disputes over the historical interpretation of these events remain a major point of contention between Poland and Ukraine and continue to strain relations between the two countries to this day. Grassroots efforts After the municipal donation was canceled, Sikorki na Ukrainie launched their own crowdfunding campaign to purchase buses for Vinnytsia. More than 7,000 donors from Poland and Ukraine contributed to the effort, according to the foundation. In addition to the 15 buses, the campaign also funded two vehicles for a hospital in Vinnytsia and two vehicles for an artillery unit operating at the front. The organization says it is already in talks with Kielce about acquiring more of the city’s decommissioned buses. Twenty-five retired buses remain available to the city. Tomasz Sikora of the foundation said the additional buses could be used for medical and military purposes. “Four short Solaris buses would go to the Military Clinical Center in Vinnytsia, which oversees eight military hospitals. The vehicles would be adapted to transport wounded people on stretchers and in wheelchairs,” he told PAP. “We also plan to obtain between two and four buses for the headquarters of airmobile brigades to transport soldiers,” he added. The buses are expected to help keep Vinnytsia’s public transportation system running during power outages caused by Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid. The city relies heavily on electric trams and trolleybuses, which can be forced out of service when attacks damage the power grid. The diesel-powered Solaris buses, by contrast, can continue operating during blackouts. TVP World is Poland's first English-language channel where you can find our guest interviews, world news from the Polish perspective and the latest news from the CEE region.