Coventry man feeds frontline troops in Ukraine

The war in Ukraine has led a Coventry man to be among the many volunteers around the world feeding troops on the front line.

Ryan Glenville’s interest in Ukraine may seem obvious in the context of the current conflict, but his interest in Ukraine dates back years before the first Russian soldier crosses the border in 2022.

Living in Coventry, Glenville was drawn to the food of Ukraine and there, sparking an interest in a country that had a low profile compared to European nations on the other side of the continent. In 2020, when Glenville began to delve into the world of Ukrainian culture, the war in Donbas and the occupation of Crimea had entered their sixth year of stalemate.

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Seeing images of a country plunged into war from Russian aggression, Glenville sprung into action and it was through his love of Ukrainian food that he found a way to help a country he had already developed a great affinity for.

Starting from November 2022, he worked at volunteer kitchens in Lviv. Then he returned and did another stint in October 2023 in Lvin and Ivano-Frankivsk. Although far from the front line, he worked with teams packing food parcels that would then go to the army to be distributed at the front.

“They were produced all over and international volunteers from America, Australia, even as far as Chile. We were in the kitchen chopping vegetables and then most of these vegetables went into a chopper and were dehydrated.

Glenville said the food packs were designed so that when the soldiers were on the battlefield, all they had to do was add hot water to then have a meal that would keep the soldiers fed and fit of battle.

“There would be borscht, which is like a Ukrainian beetroot soup, and there would be Kaska, which is like a Ukrainian porridge. It was a great experience – everyone in the kitchen was like a big family.”

“I cook a lot of Ukrainian food. I knew all the recipes and I absolutely love the food there.”

The war in Ukraine was disastrous for the country. 30,000 civilians have been killed since 2022 and more than 9 million have been displaced, both internally and abroad, as refugees. Cities such as Kyiv, Kherson and Odesa have suffered constant rocket attacks and severe damage to civilian infrastructure, including power generation and telecommunications.

It is a difficult country to enter. Every airport, from Boryspil International Airport in Kyiv to small rural airports, was closed to commercial flights. To get there, it’s a flight to Poland and a long train or road trip through Ukraine.

The war brought dozens of volunteers to the country, assisting in a variety of ways. Some have been involved in humanitarian aid, assisting civilians near the front lines and providing medical assistance and treatment to wounded soldiers and civilians caught in the crossfire. Others were involved in frontline logistics, car transport and ambulances.

British 4x4s were particularly popular, with hundreds transported to be converted into technical equipment.

Glenville said that while Lviv had so far escaped the worst damage, attacks on power generation facilities meant boiling water for showers and struggling to keep devices charged.

When the war broke out, men between the ages of 18 and 60 were forbidden to leave the country. Glenville said that despite the normalcy, the presence of soldiers was constant.

“When the men leave the front by rotation, many of them go to Lviv for the weekend with their families because they cannot leave the country.”

Before arriving in Ukraine, Glenville had learned the language and said that while he wasn’t fluent, he had enough knowledge to travel independently and communicate with locals. He said that despite the war, people were nothing but friendly.

“I think you get a little more respect because they can tell when you’re a foreigner by the way you speak Ukrainian by the vowel and consonant sounds. I think Ukrainians are so stoic and get on with it. It’s amazing to be around. The whole country is still at war, but they’re still going.”

Glenville said he had no intention until now of being there long term. He’s happy to do periods before returning home, but says he’s looking forward to getting back out there.

“I just hope to get back as soon as I can. I love that country and they are nice, very good people there despite everything that is going on.

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