Donate for Ukraine

Within a month of launching this invasion in March of 2022, the World Health Organization recognized that Russian forces were specifically targeting ambulances, hospitals and healthcare workers in a tactic that can only be described as a war crime.

In June of 2022, Anzhelika, a Ukraine native and a Florida physician, contacted NightRide to see if the Brooklyn-based manufacturer of thermal cameras could provide what no others could: robust, easy to install thermal vision for medical transport vehicles on the frontlines of the Russian invasion.

“Transport vehicles are at the greatest danger at night, when their lights allow Russian forces to easily target them,” said Anzhelika. “This led to an effort to equip these vehicles with night-vision using infrared imaging in order to drive at night without lights.”

In addition to the love of her homeland, Anzhelika has another motivation that hits even closer to home: her brother—also a physician—cares for Ukrainian casualties on the frontline and is often in the medical transport vehicles being targeted by Russian forces.

“My brother informed me that many different products were tested, but all were deficient for warzone conditions,” Anzhelika said. “Ukrainian medical transport workers needed a very specific camera—one that could be easily moved from vehicle to vehicle and that provided heads-up display with very acute imaging of the battle-torn roads of Ukraine.”

So last summer, Anzhelika sent a NightRide camera to her brother for testing in the real-world conditions of the Ukraine war and it exceeded all expectations. Here is footage taken with a NightRide Ranger camera during a nighttime ambulance drive without headlights.

Although numerous organizations are providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine, there are still many gaps. Large aid organizations tend to work with specific groups (e.g., territorial defense) in certain locations. Ukrainian military units in specific locations have acute needs that are not being met in time.