Ukraine, the first evacuation mission of the Italian Red Cross from Lviv starts tomorrow

By Cristiano Antonino On Mar 17, 2022

The first evacuation mission of civilians of the Italian Red Cross from Ukraine is about to start: a convoy will leave tomorrow for Lviv with the aim of bringing more than 60 fragile people (children, elderly, disabled, etc.) to Italy

At the same time, President Francesco Rocca will travel to Vinnytsia and Chernivtsi to collect requests and needs of the Ukrainian Red Cross.

Francesco Rocca on the ICRC mission to Lviv and Ukraine

“For weeks now – underlines Francesco Rocca, President of the Italian Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) – the ICRC has been putting in place an important humanitarian bridge to respond to the enormous needs of the Ukrainian Red Cross, sending numerous convoys of aid.

In addition to this, there is now a request for the evacuation of fragile civilians to which we have responded promptly, making all our forces available.

A convoy will leave for Lviv in the night of Thursday 17 to Friday 18 March.

In the meantime, I will go to Ukraine to bring the solidarity of the whole International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and of the Italian Red Cross to our Ukrainian colleagues and to coordinate the aid together with the Ukrainian Red Cross which, despite the dramatic situation, has never stopped working with tenacity, passion and enormous courage”.

War in Ukraine, the evacuation mission to Lviv

The CRI convoy composed of two ambulances, 6 minibuses, 2 minibuses, 3 buses, one of which with high bio-containment, 2 cars and a van for various materials, will leave Rome for Lviv, via Poland, with 36 people on board, including volunteers, staff, doctors, OSS nurses, RFL operators, voluntary nurses and members of the Italian Red Cross Military Volunteer Corps.

The mission will arrive in Lviv on Saturday 19 March at the facilities of the Ukrainian Red Cross and, after carrying out a health triage and Covid swabs, will accompany the group of frail persons to various facilities in our country.