My Charity - UKROPS
Together, we can row towards a better future
I'm Leo Krivskiy, undertaking a solo Atlantic row in January 2025. This endeavour is not just a personal challenge, but a mission to bring much-needed aid to those who need it the most in Ukraine a cause close to my heart. Sparked by personal ties and a passion to help, this journey symbolises solidarity and support. Through 'Ukrops', my charity, we're making a real difference. Join this mission of hope and change as we row together towards a brighter future.
You might be wondering what led me to undertake this ambitious expedition of rowing the Atlantic? It was my Ukrainian heritage and the deep personal ties I have with the country that spurred me into action.
My connection with Ukraine started in my childhood, spending summers in a village near Kyiv, the birthplace of my mother. I developed a love for a culture so different from my life in Moscow. This connection deepened in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea, impacting my Ukrainian wife and her Kyiv-based family. Seeing their struggles, and those of my friends in Ukraine, I was moved to do something significant. That's what led me to this daring expedition - a way to show support and solidarity with them.
Connecting through Teaching
As a Consultant Anaesthetist serving at a renowned university hospital in the UK, I had acquired valuable insights and skills that I felt could be beneficial to my colleagues in Ukraine. I began by conducting workshops on complex airway procedures and major blood loss management. These trips to Ukraine turned into a cherished family tradition, giving my children, born in the UK, a chance to connect with their Slavic roots.
“It’s a journey that began with a simple helping hand and transformed into a mission of love.”
The War Begins
When the war began, I was in the Solent, engaged in my Day Skipper course. It was then that I received the harrowing news: my in-laws were caught in Kyiv, under Russian bombardment. For days, we lost all contact with them, and the feeling of helplessness was overwhelming. This became deeply personal for me and marked a turning point.
No longer content to sit back, I began actively reaching out to friends and colleagues in Ukraine, offering them comfort and reassurance. The real challenge was figuring out how to get medical kits to those in need. I was determined to do something meaningful that would make an impact.
Stepping Up
In the midst of the chaos of the initial weeks of the war, I penned a letter to my fellow Consultants at the hospital. I didn't have a concrete plan, but I had a burning desire to help. With the support from my colleagues and funds raised through JustGiving, I managed to buy some tactical medical kits. I then loaded them into a friend's van and drove towards Ukraine.
My first trip to the war-ravaged Ukraine was an eye-opener. I met some incredible people, organised a few seminars at a local hospital, and gained a deeper understanding of the needs and priorities on the ground.
Continuing the Mission
Since then, I have made several trips to Ukraine, delivering flu vaccines, out-of-date hospital disposables, and tactical medical kits.
Together with Medical Lifelines Ukraine, we continue to send medical supplies and tactical kits to hospitals and front-line facilities across Ukraine. I'm also keeping up with my educational work, both online and in-person, and now we're bringing Ukrainian doctors to the UK for short clinical attachments. Thanks to the connections I've made between Ukrainian and Southampton doctors, there are active WhatsApp groups for real-time clinical advice. This collaboration has been life-saving; for instance, it helped save a mother and her baby during a critical Caesarean section in Zaporizhzhia, where Southampton surgeons provided vital guidance to Ukrainian obstetricians.
Expanding the Impact: Birth of 'Ukrops'
To amplify the impact of my efforts, I felt the need to establish a charitable organisation. Thus, 'Ukrops' was born. The board comprises three Consultant Anaesthetists of Eastern European descent, sharing a profound understanding of the situation on the ground in Ukraine.
So, what have we been up to recently? Although it has been increasingly difficult to raise money for Ukraine, we have still managed to complete a few projects that have made a real difference in the lives of our Ukrainian medical colleagues.
We have managed to ship 100 boxes of invaluable airway disposables kindly donated by “Intersurgical”, a leading producer of anaesthetic equipment, to the anaesthetists in the Feofania Clinic in Kyiv, my very close friends that I worked with in March 2023.
My friends at the Feofania Clinic had been asking for bronchoscopes for a long time. That vital equipment that allows one to see “inside of patients” lungs, is essential both in theatres, particularly in Thoracic surgery and on Intensive Care Unit where it allows diagnosis and treatment of common pulmonary problems. I asked the good people at “Ambu”, the leading producer of disposable bronchoscopes for help, and they kindly donated a few boxes of bronchoscopes and monitors which we have successfully shipped to Kyiv. I am told that this problem is now sorted for at least one year.
Another example of a good project was a delivery of a Level 1 transfusion pump to the Feofania Clinic recently. It allows intravenous infusions of warm fluids and blood with rates of up to 1 litre/minute and is absolutely vital in managing major haemorrhage, something that Ukrainian doctors are very familiar with. This one was donated to our Charity by the Spire Southampton Hospital and was delivered to Kyiv by a MLLU ambulance convoy.
We have also been able to help our friend Oleksii in Dnipro with some metalwork for his amazing work fixing wounded soldiers and civilians at a general hospital in Dnipro. This has been donated by the orthopaedic team in Southampton who have been very impressed by his work and have already been in touch to facilitate an exchange of ideas and training.
And this is how we stand out from the bigger charities. Through our personal connections, knowledge of the language and understanding of the situation on the ground we can respond directly to the needs of Ukrainian medics. For my transatlantic row, I have chosen to focus on helping the individuals who are not just practicing clinicians, but also medical managers who can drive real change in their institutions, like Andrii and Oleksii in the images above. Please help us help them help as many people as they can and then some more!
Read more about my humanitarian work in Ukraine and the stories of my medical colleagues that I am going to help on my personal website ‘Ukrivski’
UKROPS Charity - the trustees
Leo Krivskiy
Leonid Krivskiy, the driving force behind UKROPS qualified from a Moscow University and went on to train and work as an Anaesthetist in Russia and the UK. He has been a Consultant Anaesthetist at the University Hospital Southampton since 2009. He specialises in Major Surgery including Vascular, Thoracic and liver surgery, but is a self-confessed “Jack-of-all-trades” who tries to maintain an expertise in a wide range of surgical specialities.
He has been engaged in training of his Ukrainian colleagues for a long time, primarily through online educational platforms, but also organising lectures and workshops in Ukraine since the annexation of Crimea and the start of the war in the Eastern Ukraine in 2014. Since the Russian invasion in February, 2022 he has raised a significant amount of money through his JustGiving page, which he has used to buy tactical medical kit and delivered it personally to Ukraine. He has also continued with his educational projects including setting up a joint online platform with his Intensive Care colleagues from the World-famous Mayo Clinic in the U.S. called CERTAIN Ukraine — CERTAIN (icertain.org) which is aimed at providing Ukrainian anaesthetists with the latest scientific evidence, as well as answering practical clinical questions. Dr Krivskiy also provides practical advice to his colleagues throughout Ukraine including those working at frontline hospitals and stabilisation facilities.
He also visited a Kyiv hospital in March, 2023 where he worked and shared his experience with his anaesthetic colleagues and friends. Dr Krivskiy has been writing about his experiences in Ukraine on his blog Leo Krivski – Real People.Real Stories.Real Solutions. (ukrivski.com) He has also been recording stories of Ukrainian doctors there to let the World see the war through the eyes of ordinary Ukrainians whose lives have been turned upside down, and what choices they have had to made to survive and remain true to themselves. It has become a project that Leonid considers to be just as important as any other aspect of his work in Ukraine.
Dr Krivskiy is currently preparing to row across the Atlantic Ocean solo and unassisted in support of his Ukrainian medical colleagues. Hopefully, he will be able to raise enough money for a bigger project, which would have a long-term impact on the lives of his amazing friends and contribute to the post-war recovery of their country.
Justas Mazunaitis
Justas Mazunaitis has trained and worked as an anaesthetist in Lithuania and arrived to the UK in 2014, coincidentally - the time when annexation of Crimea was happening.
He completed a fellowship in Trauma Intensive Care and later switched to anaesthetics with special interest in trauma and regional anaesthesia at the Royal London Hospital where he worked as a consultant.
He is currently practicing anaesthetics at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust with main focus to trauma and regional anaesthesia.
Justas has taken part in Dr Leonid Krivskiy's efforts gathering and taking essential supplies and vehicles to Ukraine in the early days of the war, and as someone coming from the Baltics where the historical presence and wrongdoings of the current invader of Ukraine had been felt for years, is keen to support the efforts of UKROPS charity.
Justas Mazunaitis has trained and worked as an anaesthetist in Lithuania and arrived to the UK in 2014, coincidentally - the time when annexation of Crimea was happening.
He completed a fellowship in Trauma Intensive Care and later switched to anaesthetics with special interest in trauma and regional anaesthesia at the Royal London Hospital where he worked as a consultant.
He is currently practicing anaesthetics at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust with main focus to trauma and regional anaesthesia.
Justas has taken part in Dr Leonid Krivskiy's efforts gathering and taking essential supplies and vehicles to Ukraine in the early days of the war, and as someone coming from the Baltics where the historical presence and wrongdoings of the current invader of Ukraine had been felt for years, is keen to support the efforts of UKROPS charity.
Anna Hunter
Anna Hunter qualified from Crimean State Medical University and practiced as an anaesthetist in Ukraine and in the UK. Currently she holds a Consultant Anaesthetist post in Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, sub-specialising in Obstetrics Anaesthesia and Anaesthesia for the ENT surgery, as well as delivering anaesthetic care for multiple other surgical specialties, including Trauma and Orthopaedics, General and Vascular Surgery. She has non-clinical interest in Medical Law, Complaints Management and Administrative justice and teaching student-selected Medical Law course at the University of Glasgow. Dr Hunter is also regular faculty at the Advanced Life Support (ALS) and IMPACT courses.
As a Ukrainian, Dr Hunter always desired to share the skills and expertise gained in the UK training to her Ukrainian counterparts, especially in the field of Obstetric Anaesthesia and Maternity Critical Care. She is delighted to become a trustee of the UKROPS Charity to help the charity to achieve its set goals and objectives, and especially the training of the Ukrainian doctors and nurses, among other important goals.
Rowing Solo Across the Atlantic -
A Symbol of Solidarity
The decision to embark on this journey of rowing solo across the Atlantic was inspired by a desire to raise awareness and funds for the medics of Ukraine. It is a symbolic gesture of solidarity, a message to the world that they are not alone in their struggle.
I invite you to join me on this voyage, to support this cause and help make a difference. Every penny you contribute goes directly towards aid, reaching the people who need it the most.
“Together, we can row towards a better future.”
Real Stories, Real Impact
Behind every donation, behind every kit delivered, are the real stories of people whose lives have been profoundly changed. Check out this blog where I share stories of the people that make a real impact.
Join the Journey
I invite you to join me on this journey, to become a part of this mission of hope and healing. By supporting 'Leo's Row', you are not just aiding a cause; you are transforming lives.