On September 21, 2026 Dutch volunteer and journalist Patrick Haar once again visited Trostyanets city with humanitarian aid, accompanied by his friends. Having travelled 3,000 kilometres, they brought two ambulances for Trostyanets City Hospital.
The Dutch guests and partners were warmly welcomed outside the administrative building of the City Council by Yuriy Bova, Mayor of Trostyanets; Natalia Kovaliova, Secretary of the City Council; and Liliia Hontar, Director General of Trostyanets City Hospital.
Patrick Haar said that Trostyanets municipality has already become like home for him. In 2026 alone, this is his fourth visit to Trostyanets delivering humanitarian aid. His fellow volunteers, who drove the ambulances, were visiting Ukraine for the first time. They said that despite their fear and the danger of being in a frontline border area, they have a strong desire to help Ukrainians suffering from russia’s military aggression. That is why they are here today.
It should be noted that although the ambulances are not new, they are in good technical condition. They are equipped with special facilities for the safe and comfortable transportation of people with disabilities and patients with limited mobility. Liliia Hontar, head of Trostyanets City Hospital, emphasized the importance of this feature.
Speaking about their volunteer work, the Dutch volunteers said that last Christmas they raised approximately €1 million to support Ukraine. The funds were used to purchase ambulances, fire engines, generators and first-aid kits, as well as food and to support other social projects.
Mayor Yuriy Bova, on behalf of himself and all residents of the community, expressed his sincere gratitude to benefactor and volunteer Patrick Haar and to all his friends from the Netherlands for their compassion, humanity and unwavering faith in Ukraine.
Patrick van ’t Haar (also written as Patrick van ‘t Haar or Patrick Haar) is a Dutch journalist based in Leeuwarden, Friesland.He works as a city/regional reporter for the Leeuwarder Courant (LC), a major regional newspaper in the northern Netherlands. He covers local politics and community news in Leeuwarden and the surrounding area.
He works as a city/regional reporter for the Leeuwarder Courant (LC), a major regional newspaper in the northern Netherlands. He covers local politics and community news in Leeuwarden and the surrounding area.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, he has become widely known for his reporting from the war zone and for combining journalism with humanitarian work. He has traveled to Ukraine roughly 20–23 times (as of late 2025/early 2026 reports), often to places such as Irpin, Bucha, Kharkiv, Kyiv, and frontline areas.
His interest in Ukraine began earlier, after the Euromaidan Revolution and the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 (which carried many Dutch passengers). At the start of the full-scale war he went to the Ukrainian-Polish border to report on refugees and helped evacuate some women and children to the Netherlands.
Journalism + fundraising
Van ’t Haar writes human-interest stories about ordinary Ukrainians living through the war for the Leeuwarder Courant and partner papers. These reports helped launch large joint fundraising campaigns by the Leeuwarder Courant, Dagblad van het Noorden, and Friesch Dagblad.Reported fundraising totals include approximately:
- ~€400,000 in 2022
- ~€675,000 in 2023
- Further substantial sums in later years
Overall estimates exceed €2.5 million. The money has funded ambulances, generators, medical supplies, housing repairs/reconstruction, support for children (including donations to the Voices of Children foundation), equipment for the Ukrainian military/medical units, and other aid. He and colleagues have personally delivered aid on multiple trips.
voices.org.uaHe is also known for personal connections formed during his reporting, notably with a young boy named Dima from Irpin, whose birthday he has celebrated on visits. He has given public lectures in the Netherlands about his experiences and the ethical choices involved in war reporting.
@PatrickvtHaar. He continues to report regularly on Ukraine while remaining a local journalist in Friesland.
