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Laurentiu Ioan, originally from Romania and now working at Amazon as an Inbound Support Service Problem Solver, volunteered to help with the gathering and transportation of supplies before they were taken in convoy over the border from Romania to Ukraine.

Shortly after the war broke out in Ukraine, Laurentiu travelled from the UK to Romania and met a team of volunteers gathering and delivering supplies such as clothes, food and medicine.

Speaking on why he decided to make the trip to Romania to help the people of Ukraine, Laurentiu said: “I was listening to the radio and heard a woman’s plea for help.

Amazon Associate Laurentiu Ioan visited Ukraine to provide support.

"I felt very emotional after hearing it and decided I wanted to help in any way I could. I felt I had a responsibility to provide support for those in need in Ukraine.

“I went into work and asked for some time off to support the Ukraine effort.

“Amazon were more than helpful in ensuring I could provide assistance – they even offered extra time off should I need it.”

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Laurentiu volunteered to help with the gathering and transportation of supplies before they were taken in convoy over the border from Romania to Ukraine.

When speaking about the process of transporting goods from Romania to Ukraine, Laurentiu said: “The process of transporting goods into Ukraine was difficult because of the 7pm curfew that was in place for citizen safety.

"We had to meet another convoy approximately 60km from the border in Romania and transfer the goods. That convoy took the supplies from us, and then moved on to transport them across the border, into Ukraine. It was an intimidating experience but extremely rewarding to be able to play a role in providing Ukrainian citizens with some help during this crisis.

“Ukrainian citizens require support more than ever, as the situation has continued to worsen in their country.

“I am so grateful I can help, and it will be an honour to continue this service in the future.”

Vivek Khanka, site leader at Amazon in Sutton, said: “We commend Laurentiu’s commitment to volunteering for people in Ukraine. His actions set an example to those around him and we are extremely proud to have him on our team.”

Sutton Amazon employee steps up to support Ukraine