'I'm driving from UK to Ukraine to help the victims of Putin's slaughter'

An aid volunteer has been hailed a 'hero' after buying, equipping and driving three ambulances packed with life-saving medical supplies from the UK - to help the Ukrainian victims of Putin's cruel slaughter. Peter White, 70 - who once drove his own ambulance to Kuwait in 1990 to help First Gulf War victims - felt so moved by the plight of Ukraine against war-mongering Vladimir Putin's Russian invasion he leapt into action.

Since last autumn he has used his own savings to buy three 4x4s or campervans, filling them with medical supplies from charity Ukraine Relief, before driving them solo from Dover to southern Ukraine. The first 'ambulance' was destroyed by a Russian missile; the second is transporting cerebral palsy orphans in Dnipro, while the third is in Chernivtsi - destined for either Kiev or Odessa.

Now, as Peter starts work on a fourth ambulance at his home in Hartlebury near Worcester, he's told the Express he has been inspired by the courageous people of Ukraine.

Explaining his passion to help strangers, the devout Catholic said: "It's the people themselves. They're absolutely incredible.

"The women and children are beautiful souls and the men are gallant, determined and courageous - as soon as you meet them, you feel protective of them. You feel you can't turn your back on them.

"I go there as a pacifist or 'peace monger' but even I sometimes feel that violent responses are necessary to hold back the wave of evil that is facing them. They're up against it and I feel for them greatly.

"Now that I'm coming to the final chapters of my own life, I'd like to make sure I leave the world in a better place. And if I can do anything to improve other people's lives, I'll do that."

Peter's early life and family history boast fascinating chapters in our UK's proud military and peacetime past.

His father Dennis White was a Fleet Air Arm 'Top Gun' Navy pilot, while his grandfather Colonel Stuart McBride featured on Pathe News as he escorted the first pine tree gifted from Norway in 1947 and placed in Trafalgar Square as a thank you for Britain's support during World War II - while his brother was an advisor to Margaret Thatcher.

Meanwhile Peter started out as a journalist in the UK before reporting in the Middle-East and the Lebanese Civil War where he was briefly held captive by the insurgents from the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO).

After a lot of travelling and teaching overseas in Asia, in Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, where else, Taiwan, and Brunei, Borneo he made the news running an ambulance service during the First Gulf War in 1990.

He made the news again when working with UNICEF to take medical supplies - and a Santa - to the crumbling Filatov Children's Hospital in Moscow amid the chaos of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

But while that act was an olive branch to Russia after the Cold War, Peter explained that Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine made him determined to help those who are now their bitter enemy.

So in November 2024 he bought a second-hand blue VW Caravelle, and contacted Bournemouth-based charity Ukraine Relief - offering to ferry their donated medical supplies over to Dnipro for them.

He told us: "I thought with the injustice of the invasion of Ukraine, I would take out a vehicle for the disabled with a ramp at the back. That was put into operation over there but ended up being hit by a missile.

"I sourced the ambulance but was put in contact with Ukraine Relief and they provided some of the logistics in terms of ferry tickets and petrol and also cargo of various medicines and foods.

"They needed bandages, gels, sutures and even spare parts for an X-ray machine - all dealing with the problem the surgeons face with shrapnel wounds among civilians and soldiers."

Realising the people of Ukraine desperately needed more help and supplies he bought a second ambulance - this time a Nissan Elgrand people carrier which in February he loaded with more Ukraine Relief supplies and drove solo to Dnipro.

He said: "That one's been donated to a home in Dnipro to children, victims of cerebral palsy in an orphanage there and they're using it for sort of travel adventures and outings."

Last month he returned from taking ambulance number three, a white Land Rover, which is in Chernivtsi - and has a fourth ambulance, another Land Rover, prepping as we speak for a pre-Christmas trip.

Describing his last trip to Chernivtsi, a city down in the south, he said he visited Kiev during the biggest bombardment of the war.

He said: "It was horrendous. In the early hours of the morning, too. There's natural fatigue on the part of the Ukrainians. They don't see an end to it. It's a constant weight on their minds.

"There's evidence all around you of the war. Mainly the absence of men of a certain age, the presence of many amputees and a general degradation of the infrastructure.

"In the city of Chernivtsi, where the relief operations are mainly based, they have a trainload of wounded arriving every week and they're pumped out to various hospitals."

Explaining how Ukrainians view Trump and his peace efforts bachelor Peter told us: "I think they're baffled by his behaviour as much as they're baffled by Putin's behaviour as a fellow Slavic nation who has turned against them.

"Because there are traditional links between Russia and Ukraine and the residents I spoke to didn't really understand why Russia should have turned against them so viciously.

"The war has dragged on for three years with no visible end to it, and the price that the young men are having to pay.

"You're forever hearing of casualties and the cities come to a stop whenever the funerals of the young soldiers pass by. And that's almost a daily occurrence."

And the people's view of their President Volodymyr Zelenskyy? Peter added: "Ukrainians have a very healthy, natural scepticism about any politician! But that's a sign of a good democracy if they can be vocal about him sometimes."

Peter returned from his last trip to Ukraine to do a speed awareness course after driving over the limit in the third ambulance while still in the UK.

He quipped: "I was one mile an hour over the limit, if you can believe it! I explained I was in an ambulance about to take it to Ukraine. They probably haven't heard that excuse before."

Now - as well as taking the fourth ambulance out soon - Peter is hoping to fly a Santa Claus over to Ukraine to give the war-shattered children some festive joy.

He admitted: "I've been advised not to do it, but I'm still ploughing ahead because you get a lot of discouragement along the way in most projects. It's best not to yield to it but just put your head down and go for it."

Karol Swiacki, the Polish founder and CEO of Bournemouth-based registered charity Ukraine Relief, praised Peter as an "incredible individual who, like hundreds of others around us, has dedicated himself to helping others."

Karol told us: "We are so lucky to have such amazing people supporting our charity. We travelled to Ukraine together and built a wonderful relationship.

"One of Peter's ambulances was destroyed in a direct missile strike on March 5th, 2025. Once again, Peter raised funds and bought another 4x4 vehicle to convert into an ambulance for evacuations.

"Soon, our charity will be sending a donated fire engine to Ukraine, and we may even travel together with Peter for that mission.

"Peter is a special man with a true passion for helping others. Thanks to connections like these, the world becomes a better place. We must continue to defend freedom and never give up on Ukraine.

"As the founder of Ukraine Relief, I couldn't be more proud to have such incredible people as Peter. We will continue to support his missions with medical aid whenever he needs us."

* To donate to charity Ukraine Relief to help them outfit and buy emergency vehicles and medical supplies visit - https://www.ukrainerelief.org.uk/