Trostyanets city hromada continues to receive much-needed support from international partners. Today, our city received another 27 generators with a capacity of 2.3 kW, purchased thanks to the efforts of Dutch journalist and volunteer Patrick Haart.
This is already the second shipment of aid in a short time—just two weeks ago, the community received 26 of the same devices.
The generators were delivered to Trostyanets by volunteers from the Netherlands, Arjan and Kim. They traveled a long way, spending about a week on the road, to personally deliver the aid to our community.
Mayor Yuriy Bova, who welcomed the foreign guests, emphasized the importance of the aid received:
“In a situation where Russian shelling targets energy infrastructure almost daily, backup power sources are a matter of safety, stability, and the uninterrupted operation of the community’s critical facilities. We sincerely thank you for this much-needed support. With friends like these, our community is not afraid of the coming winter and possible blackouts.”
The generators will help keep social services and critical infrastructure running and assist residents during power outages.
We are sincerely grateful to Patrick Haart, as well as volunteers Arjan and Kim, for their compassion, consistent support, and concrete actions that help the Trostyanets community endure these difficult times.
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.
