More used to emergencies in a war zone at home, Ukrainian rescue experts have brought their skills to the devastation caused by a massive earthquake in Türkiye to search flattened buildings for survivors, erect tents, and offer first aid.
"There is a war in our country, but we understand that we must help, and this aid is mutual. There is no other way to do it," said Oleksandr Khorunzhyi, a spokesperson for the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.
Kyiv has sent 88 people to help with a disaster that killed 17,670 people across southeastern Türkiye and severely hit northwest Syria. The team includes specialists in search and rescue operations, doctors, dog handlers, and firefighters.
"This work goes on constantly; we have prepared people who participate in such operations," said Khorunzhyi.
The Ukrainian team built tents near the Turkish city of Antakya close to the Syrian border to provide emergency shelter and set up generators for those left homeless by the earthquake.
They have joined rescuers from Türkiye and around the world, including Russia, which invaded Ukraine a year ago, shattering cities in Ukraine's east and south where fighting still rages in a conflict Moscow says is to fight a threat to Russian security. Kyiv and the West call it an unprovoked land grab.
"We will work and distance ourselves from Russian rescuers as far as we can. But, unfortunately, the coordination center has informed us that Russian emergency crews are located in a far-off place, and we won't be able to meet," Khorunzhyi said.
"People should protect their lives, which is their most important thing. Therefore, we sympathize with the Turkish people, the families of the dead and wounded."
