Slovenian journalist delivers aid to Ukraine, speaks about Europe's perception of war

Slovenian journalist, writer, and volunteer Erik Valenčič delivered humanitarian aid to Kherson, Kharkiv, and Donetsk oblasts and to the UAF Navy in Odesa, reports Suspilne Odesa.

Erik Valenčič is an investigative journalist, documentarist, and author. He has been making regular trips to Ukraine as a volunteer since 2022. This time, he delivered a humanitarian Renault Master van for the UAF Navy, power generators for residents of Antonivka (Kherson oblast) and to stabilization medical points near Slovyansk, beehives for Kharkiv oblast, and other humanitarian cargo.

Erik Valenčič. Photo from Erik Valenčič's archive

His work was supported by the husband of the Slovenian President, Aleš Musar, the Lions Club Tivoli Ljubljana, the Foundation of the former Slovenian President Danilo Türk, the Ukrainian community in Slovenia, as well as dozens of Slovenian citizens.

The Republic of Korea, in partnership with the humanitarian organization ITF, donated four beehives to Kharkiv oblast. They will be used for beekeeping-based therapy in a rehabilitation program for war survivors, including veterans.

In the first weeks of the full-scale invasion, Erik arrived in Zhytomyr. It was then that his mother first asked if there was a possibility of a nuclear strike. At that time, there was a lot of support for Ukraine in Slovenia, he says: Ukraine's resistance, sacrifice, and courage became a symbol of hope that the evil represented by Putin would be defeated.

More than three years have passed, and, according to Erik, the mood has shifted: both in his country and throughout Europe, there is more fear than there was three years ago. People are afraid of escalation, tired of war-related news. Many supported Ukraine in 2022, but now there is skepticism.

However, support for Ukraine among Slovenians is on the rise again, in particular due to Donald Trump's statements, which, the volunteer says, irritate many Europeans.

“This made me so angry that I immediately organized a new mission. When political leaders fail, we, ordinary people, have to step in and act. And people responded again. It was very moving. Putin can destroy your infrastructure, but never the bridges between us,” the volunteer assured.

Valenčič stressed: the war cannot end unless the aggressor is defeated. However, he added that many outside Ukraine do not realize this.

“The naivety worries me. Many Europeans want a quick peace, but they do not understand: if Putin is not defeated and there is no just peace, the war will continue and will engulf all of Europe. Then everyone will realize that war is not something abstract,” Erik Valenčič mused.

The journalist compared the current situation with what he saw in other hot spots, having worked in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, South Sudan, Palestine, Niger before Ukraine. All wars, the journalist says, are similar in some ways: they destroy not just infrastructure, but also human souls.

Erik is now in Odesa and is waiting for the arrival of a new batch of aid.

“Odesa is incredible. But there is a sense of emptiness, as if the city lacks life. But it has already survived a disaster – the Nazi destruction during World War II – and it will survive now. Odesa's Ukrainian spirit will live on. I dream of returning here with my partner as a tourist,” the volunteer said.

Valenčič is also working on a book about Ukraine. In it, he wants to tell Slovenians not just about the humanitarian network that the volunteers have created, but also about what war really is, so that they value peace more, remain empathetic, and do not allow international law to be disregarded.

“My compatriots often perceive war as something abstract, like a football match. But this is not a game. And if we lose sensitivity to other people’s pain, if we put up with authoritarianism and violence – war will come to us, too. I want Slovenians to realize this and value peace more,” Erik stressed.

As the IMI reported, in April 2025, Suspilne Zhytomyr journalist Tetyana Khmel announced a fundraiser to repair three vehicles for the unit in which her husband serves.