DIU received unique Sikorsky S-76A medevac helicopter from Canadian partners. VIDEO+PHOTOS
The DIU servicemen received a Sikorsky S-76A medevac helicopter - the helicopter was transported from Canada as part of a charity initiative of Helijet International, Maple Hope Foundation and the Ukrainian World Congress.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine's press centre.
As noted, the cost of such a medevac ranges from 1 to 2 million Canadian dollars. This is the first helicopter of this type in Ukraine - the aircraft was delivered on 15 April 2025.
Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, thanked all the benefactors for another boost to the Ukrainian special service's ability to save lives.
"The helicopter will rescue both our employees and the Special Operations Forces. Now, thanks to your charitable organisations, it will be easier. Thank you," Budanov said.
Who donated a medevac helicopter to the scouts
Daniel Sitnam, President of the Canadian company Helijet, which donated the helicopter, personally arrived in Ukraine to deliver the medevac to the scouts.
"We have been working on this for about a year with many great partners. I am proud that it was one of the best experiences for our team, our people, our company to provide such important assistance," he said.
At the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, Daniel Sitnam's family sheltered a Ukrainian refugee family with a seven-month-old baby until our citizens could make their lives in Vancouver. After that, Danny and his company began to actively help Ukraine by cooperating with charitable organisations, including the Maple Hope Foundation.
"Whatever we can do, we do. It's an honour for us," he added.
Daniel Sitnam is a helicopter pilot by profession and has been flying for over 35 years. In Kyiv, he visited the museum of Igor Sikorsky, the legendary Ukrainian aircraft inventor and creator of the helicopters named after him.
"It's a very cool story when a Sikorsky helicopter returns to the city of Ihor Sikorsky to help us win. When Ukrainians and friends of Ukraine work together, there is no miracle we cannot do, no equipment or weapon we cannot find," said Head of the Ukrainian World Congress Mission to Ukraine Andrii Shevchenko.
Money for transporting a medevac helicopter
Maple Hope Foundation Executive Director Svitlana Kominko said that more than $100,000 was raised in just three weeks to transport the medevac helicopter from Canada to Ukraine.
"It's hard to believe, but it happened. It is all thanks to the cooperation with the Ukrainian World Congress, organisations that believed in this idea, ordinary people, Ukrainians in Canada and around the world, who helped us raise funds to transport the helicopter to Ukraine. [...] If it saves one life, it was worth doing," she said.
Capacity of the medevac helicopter
"The helicopter can carry four doctors and one seriously injured person. It has all the medical equipment - defibrillators, artificial lung ventilation, a complete set of equipment for doctors to work during evacuation. The helicopter is all-weather. It can perform evacuation tasks day and night," said the commander of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine's aviation unit with the call sign Maestro.
According to him, a specialised air medical evacuation unit has been created within the DIU, which includes experienced Special Forces medics capable of providing high-level medical care in difficult conditions.
"The Sikorsky S-76A will add to the air ambulance fleet available to the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine. This will increase our evacuation capabilities and allow us to save as many lives as possible," said Oleh Shchepinskyi, Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine's Medical Department.
"We express our gratitude for the help of all benefactors, each and every one who joined the initiative and strengthened the Ukrainian intelligence officers," the DIU wrote.
