Ukraine war: Oxfordshire man awarded highest volunteer honour

A man who has been delivering supplies to Ukraine has been awarded the highest civilian honour a volunteer can receive from the Ukrainian military.

Fynn Watt, 22, from Deddington, Oxfordshire, has been delivering donated vehicles since March 2022.

He ferries medical supplies and food to refugee camps and started a volunteer vehicle workshop in Lviv in July.

Mr Watt said he shares the award with everyone who has supported the Driving Ukraine project.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence awards the medal to foreign and Ukrainian civilians and mostly to volunteers.

The award document, signed by former Defence Minister Oleksii Rezniko, states that Mr Watt "has been awarded with this medal for big personal contributions for supporting Ukraine's armed forces".

It is the highest award for volunteers in the country who do not take part in military action.

Mr Watt said he had been "spending months in the country" and "working with different organisations", providing vehicles including pick-up trucks and ambulances.

He described the feeling of receiving it as "incredible".

"I didn't have time to go to Kyiv, to the ceremony that was supposed to occur, so I got the award in the post and it was a medal for assistance to the armed forces of Ukraine," he said.

"It was amazing to have something like this not just for me but for everybody who has been involved in the project, for them to know how much people in Ukraine appreciate our creativity and energy that's been going on for about 550 days now.

"It was so jaw-dropping but it's definitely earned by everybody who's been around us who's tried to support Ukraine," he added.

Mr Watt has put his university education on pause and said he will be continuing his mission "for as long as necessary".

"Ukraine is a country I'll be involved with for the rest of my life as I see it."

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