Ukraine will receive the Iveco Irisbus Crossway buses that operated transport lines in Estonia, known colloquially as the cloud buses. Three buses set off for Zhytomyr today. Next week, nine more buses will depart.
Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu explained that Estonia aims to offer Ukraine comprehensive support, including by helping them restore their daily lives despite Russia’s continued war. “I hope these buses help the people of the Zhytomyr Oblast reach their destinations safely,” he said.
Early this summer, Estonia responded to Ukraine’s appeal to select focus regions in reconstruction assistance. Estonia chose the Zhytomyr Oblast. The buses are sent in response to a request from Zhytomyr. “I am glad that in cooperation with several agencies and companies, we can offer practical assistance with the buses that departed today, as it is urgently needed,” Reinsalu emphasised.
"In June we sent five buses to the Butcha region of Kyiv, this time the buses are going to the Zõtomyr region to help restore the transport network there. Zhytomyr is also the region that Estonia is focusing on in the restoration activities of Ukraine," said Minister of Economic Affairs and Infrastructure Riina Sikkut. „I want to thank the Estonian companies, with whose support the buses received necessary repair and maintenance to continue their service in helping the people of Ukraine," she added.
“We are grateful to the government, companies and people of Estonia for the invaluable assistance to Ukraine,” Ukrainian Ambassador to Estonia Mariana Betsa said. “Estonia was among the first countries to respond to the call for assistance in rebuilding Ukraine and is concentrating on Zhytomyr.”
“At the Transport Administration, we are happy that the buses that operated in Estonia can get a new life thanks to skilled workers and can continue their service for the good of the people of Ukraine in a region that needs it most urgently,“ Ele Reiljan, acting director general of the Transport Administration, said.
She said selling the buses would have been the easiest option for the state but with the professional team of Iveco IV Pluss and the Foreign Ministry, they were able to look at the buses returned to the state and choose the ones with enough mileage left and repair them, so they can serve the people in Ukraine for several more years.
“We have helped Ukraine from the first days of Russia’s war and there has never been a question of why,” Bruno Kubja, Managing Director of Iveco IV Pluss, said. “When the Ministry of Foreign Affairs suggested we could help out with preparing the buses for going to Ukraine, we immediately agreed. Thanks to the low repair charge and spare parts we offered, more buses were repaired than initially planned.”
The drivers of Lux Charter will drive the buses to the Zhytomyr Oblast. “Our excellent drivers already took five buses to a badly hit area in Ukraine in June in cooperation with the Foreign Ministry and we are honoured to be able to contribute again,” Jaanus Kukk, Chairman of the Board of Lux Charter, said. “From the early days of the war, we have helped transport war refugees with our buses, and we have brought more than 3000 refugees safely to Estonia in cooperation with the Estonian Refugee Council,” Kukk added.
Estonia has given Ukraine humanitarian aid worth around €21 million, including €2.2 from the public sector and nearly €18.8 million from the private and third sector. The aid has been diverse – it includes food, temporary shelter, medicines, ambulances, rescue equipment and IT devices.
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