WATCH | These Ukrainians transform car engines into life-saving evacuation buggies to support army

Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine

Two Ukrainians in the south-eastern region of Zaporizhzhia are making significant contributions to the military's frontline efforts by repurposing car engines into essential evacuation buggies, Reuters reported.

Friends Dmytro and Volodymyr are behind this innovation. They dedicate the majority of their time to a garage in the Zaporizhzhia region in an undisclosed location.

With a remarkable blend of ingenuity and skill, they have successfully crafted five of these specialised vehicles from scratch, with an additional five currently in progress.

Dmytro, aged 34, and his 33-year-old friend Volodymyr have individual roles to play.

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While Volodymyr focuses on securing sponsors, soliciting donations, and acquiring car engines, Dmytro, the elder of the two, meticulously assembles and constructs the vehicles.

Multi-purpose frontline buggies for military support

The heart of their project lies in the creation of swift and adaptable frontline buggies that serve multiple critical functions.

These vehicles possess the agility to swiftly navigate challenging terrains and carry light ammunition loads.

Their most crucial role, however, is the safe transport of wounded soldiers to medical stabilisation points. The buggies are ingeniously designed to accommodate two stretchers on either side, enabling the efficient evacuation of injured personnel.

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Volodymyr elaborated on the distinct advantages of their creations.

"There's a vehicle for every task. Ours cannot drive with such power like an armoured personnel carrier. But it is mobile, light, it’s hard to aim for it, it’s next to impossible to destroy it with an anti-tank missile," Volodymyr said, adding, "And it glides over terrain where the armoured personnel carrier will not pass. But on the other hand, wherever an armoured personnel carrier can pass through, the buggy can't. That is, different tasks, different vehicles. Plus we have two stretchers mounted on each side for evacuating the wounded."

Dmytro said, "At the beginning of constructing each buggy, you're like 'Oh no, and again, how does this work, where does this go.' You make one step, and then you just walk straightaway, you walk and walk, and then 'Oh wow, I'm done building it!'"

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The initiative undertaken by Dmytro and Volodymyr is a broader trend in Ukraine, where volunteers with technical expertise are uniting to design and manufacture an array of ground and aerial vehicles on a limited budget.