Maryland is sending a multimillion-dollar aid package of supplies to Ukraine, including medical supplies and body armor, Gov. Larry Hogan said Tuesday.
Hogan said the Maryland Department of Health is donating much needed medical equipment including 485,000 bandages and wound care supplies and 200 ventilators to treat adults and children wounded by Russian attacks.
“Here in Maryland, we stand with President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy and the brave people of Ukraine,” Hogan said at a news conference Tuesday at a warehouse in Hanover. “We will do whatever we can to help Ukraine in this fight.”
Maryland State Police will be contributing hundreds of pieces of body armor, including tactical vests and shields, according to Hogan.
The governor said the package came together after a teleconference two weeks ago with the mayor of the port city of Odessa, Gennadiy Trukhanov, who said that his No. 1 need is medical supplies.
Odessa is a sister city with Baltimore.
Maryland cut off its sister state partnership with Russia’s Leningrad region in February, shortly after the invasion.
The state also cut all financial ties with Russian entities.
“These actions are symbolic ways for us to send a loud and clear message to Russia that here in Maryland we stand on the side of peace and freedom,” Hogan said.
Hogan said the next shipment of supplies will leave Wednesday with more shipments set to arrive in Odessa and Ukraine in the coming days.
