Romanian donors fund custom armored vehicles for Ukraine

Romanian private citizens have gathered donations and transformed a bus into an armored mobile hospital intended to be used to treat Ukrainian soldiers.

Named the Oleg Gubal mobile hospital, in honor of a fallen Ukrainian soldier, the bus can save up to 60 lives per day, according to the Romanian coordinator, Radu Hossu. That number goes down to 30 if the injuries are severe.

The metal-plated vehicle is one of several funded through small donations by Romanians looking to help Ukrainian fighters.

"[Oleg Gubal] died on the road from the front line to the nearest hospital. So if this [armored mobile hospital] had existed then, he would have had a chance of surviving," Hossu told Radio Free Europe. The bus, he says, is meant to commemorate his friend.

Hossu, who became known in Romania for his updates on the war in Ukraine, has spent months in the most dangerous parts of Ukraine and organized numerous shipments of supplies to the frontlines. He gave Romania Insider an interview in June 2022.

At the moment, Hossu is busy gathering funds for armored vehicles that will help Ukrainian fighters in the field. The builders he has contracted work for a custom car company in Kyiv, and they bill him only for their own wages. Another metal-clad vehicle which looks like something out of Mad Max will accompany the bus.

The Oleg Gubal complex has cost a total of around EUR 130,000 donated by Romanians, according to Hossu, with most of the money spent on medical equipment and military-grade armor plating. Most of the donations are small, but they added up and will help build a fleet of armored vehicles that will make a difference in the close-quarters battles in Ukraine.

(Photo source: Radu Hossu on Facebook)