Cyprus collects enough Ukraine donations to fill 15 shipping containers

Commissioner for the Citizen Panayiotis Sentonas on Saturday visited Limassol port where the biggest-ever humanitarian drive in Cyprus has collected donations for the war-torn people of Ukraine.

The aid collected for Ukraine is the largest ever in the history of the Republic. With 250 pallets of food and 32 pallets of medicines, enough has been collected to fill 15 shipping containers, CNA reported.

During a tour of the port authority warehouse Sentonas thanked the public, municipalities, communities and organised groups that had contributed to the effort to collect and send humanitarian aid to Ukraine. The first shipment will depart on Tuesday, he said. The drive was coordinated by the ports authority.

“From February 25, on the instructions of President Anastasiades, the humanitarian collection campaign began a collection aid for the Ukrainian people,” Sentonas told media at the site.

More than 40 collection points were set up across Cyprus, primarily focusing on the gathering of dry food items, as well as pharmaceuticals.

Cypriot pharmaceutical company Medochemie, which has facilities in Ukraine, has already delivered half a million euros worth of medicines to the Ukrainian people so far and will continue to provide support.

The mission also includes materials offered by the Cyprus Red Cross and concerns 1,500 sets of personal hygiene items for children and adults.

Sentonas also said that following instructions from the Chief of the National Guard General Staff, the donations gathered at all of the collection points islandwide, have been packed to go in one shipment.

In addition to the food and other items, an account has been created at the Cyprus Central Bank where people, organisations and companies can make monetary donations to support Ukrainians.

“The entire process of sending humanitarian aid is done in full consultation with the European Civil Protection Mechanism, which has set up special centres in the countries around Ukraine, where the material is managed and distributed,” Sentonas said.

“We are participating together with our European partners in this effort,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, Disy leader Averof Neophytou also visited the warehouse on Saturday and  checked out a huge consignment of pasta, among other things, donated by the party. He said that “the contribution of ordinary citizens to the support of the Ukrainian people is touching”, adding that “the Cypriot people know about being uprooted”.

“I repeat, we condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine, separating the decisions of the leadership from the friendly Russian people,” Neophytou said.