A Ukrainian couple that lives on Montreal's South Shore is working to help those defending their country by sending material that can be used in an active combat zone.

Svitlana Iurchenko and her husband Maksym Ishchenko have been living in Brossard, Que. for two years and want to directly help those who are injured or under attack in Ukraine's hot spots.

Rather than gather food, clothes or other items that are readily available in Europe, they want to focus on material those on the frontlines need in order to survive.

"Me and my wife bought 10 bulletproof vests and sent them to Ukraine," said Ishchenko. "After that I bought a minivan to help Ukrainians evacuate children and women and pensioners from cities" bombarded by Russia.

He also helped purchase 30 more bulletproof vests from Sweden that they had delivered through volunteers to Ukraine. The couple provided a receipt for 10 Tomahawk tactical vests to donors to show that they are being purchased and sent.

"We try to help Ukrainians in many different ways," said Ishchenko.

Iurchenko said those wanting to donate can contact her via Facebook or email at svitlana.rusova@gmail.com.

The couple started the campaign after noticing an over-abundance of diapers and other hygienic products being collected in the Montreal area and sent overseas.

Ishchenko noted that those items can be purchased cheaper in Europe and aren't as useful as items that are harder to procure in Eastern European countries.

He said he spoke to a Ukrainian medical volunteer working in some of the hot spots in the country, who said that many donations are similar to those that would be sent in response to a natural disaster and not a war.

"It's not an earthquake. It's a real war where there are ripped off legs and arms of women and children and other civilians," he said. "It's a real war and we need help to win this war."

Items the couple are looking to buy include tactical tourniquets, occlusive halo chest seal patches, combat gauze and burnshield hydrogel, as well as bullet-proof vests and tactical backpacks.

"Those warehouses in the airport and the churches themselves are full of diapers, clothes, food, the things that are a lot cheaper in Europe and the things that would be much more expensive to transport from Canada to Ukraine," said Iurchenko. "The cost of the transportation would be a lot higher than the cost of the help that would be sent from here."

The couple is clear that they will not be purchasing or sending any offensive military equipment, but rather items that those in hot spots can use for safety.

"We really need help to survive, not just change diapers," she said. "Even the volunteers need to be protected when they're going to hot spots... If they don't get there, they won't be able to help people." 

The couple is currently looking to purchase hemostatic tourniquets at bulk from a Canadian company to ship overseas.

"If someone wants to sacrifice their morning coffee, it would be enormous for us," said Iurchenko. "Every dollar helps."