
April Huggett
@AprilHuggett • 22,936 subscribers
🇨🇦 Молодший сержант- in the Armed Forces of Ukraine https://t.co/YBH5vYuVB7
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Since I started walking, I have been eating British military rations for almost three meals a day, every day. And I have one question: Why does every single package contain beans? I understand they are filling. I understand they have protein. I understand they are practical for military rations. But the things currently happening inside my body are catastrophically terrible. As I walk down the highway, releasing what can only be described as biological warfare, I keep thinking the same thing: Thank God I am not trapped in a blindage with a group of men right now. #british #military #rations
April Huggett463,177 次观看 • 24 天前

I’m going to start by saying that yes, I informed the local authorities about everything that happened tonight. Why am I sitting in a tent at one in the morning instead of sleeping in the hotel? Because I’m fairly certain I just had the craziest interaction of this entire walk. The man started with innocent questions. Where was I from? Did I like Lubny? I said yes. Of course. There is no war here. Then he began telling me that russians do not want war. That russians are good people. Then he told me he had fought in Chechnya. That was when I realized I was absolutely speaking to a russian man. He also asked whether I knew about Skala, the unit currently in the news over allegations involving commanders and officers killing their own soldiers. He asked with a smile on his face. I could tell he was happy about it. I looked at him and said, “You are speaking russian, telling me how good russians are, telling me you fought in Chechnya, and smiling while talking about dead Ukrainian soldiers.” Then I told him, “Іди нахуй, ти підор.” I packed as quickly as I could and left. I had not rested my feet all day. I was exhausted, had barely eaten, and left some of my belongings behind. But I could not risk staying. He had already started asking whether I had weapons. I told him, “Of course I have a weapon.” Then he asked, “But do you have one here?” I wish I had said there was a rocket launcher in my backpack. But by then, it was no longer funny. This walk has always had risks: highways, weather, exhaustion, pain, and the reality of crossing a country at war. Being a woman walking alone has rarely felt like the most dangerous part. Until tonight. Tonight was the first time I truly felt how alone I am out here. I am safe. The authorities have been informed. Now I am going to sleep. See you in the morning. #russiaisaterroriststate #standwithukraine
April Huggett98,183 次观看 • 15 天前

For those who don’t know me, my name is April Huggett. I am from #Canada and a junior sergeant in the 93rd Brigade’s Alcatraz Battalion in #Ukraine. I am currently walking from Kyiv to Kramatorsk to raise awareness and funds for my soldiers. Today, I officially crossed the 100 kilometer mark. Now I am looking forward to some much-needed rest while I wait out the worst of the sun and the possible rain. I found shelter beneath a bridge, and while it may have its ups and downs, right now I am simply grateful to have found a safe place to stop. I am feeling optimistic, proud, and ready to keep moving. Thank you for following my journey and supporting my soldiers every step of the way. P.S. for more updates along the way be sure to follow me on Instagram ))
April Huggett154,069 次观看 • 1 个月前

I was sitting at a bus stop waiting for Andrew when a car suddenly pulled up. And out stepped the man from the store yesterday, the same man who had refused to let me pay for my food. He came running toward me with his phone in his hand, my picture on the screen, saying, “This is you! This is you!” Somehow, he had found me on Instagram and then driven up and down the highway looking for me until he found me sitting there at a bus stop. He opened his car and started pulling things out for me: cookies, water, and 2,000 hryvnia for my soldiers. That 2,000 UAH was added directly to the balance for thermal drones. What do you even say to something like that? Yesterday, he told me about his family in #Canada. Today, this man went looking for me on the road to Poltava because he wanted to help my boys and help me. I sat there at that bus stop with a very different kind of tears running down my face. There are days on this journey when I am tired, sore, overwhelmed, and wondering how I am going to keep putting one foot in front of the other. And then someone appears. Someone gives me food. Someone brings water. Someone donates. Someone drives out of their way. Someone refuses to let me pay. Someone simply decides, “I can help.” And somehow, all of those little acts carry me a little farther. Not long after that incredible encounter, another car pulled up. Andrew from HUGS Helping Ukraine Grassroots Support 🍁🇨🇦🇺🇦 Andrew, thank you so much for going out of your way to purchase this for me, for refusing to let me pay for it, and simply for being the kind of volunteer your country needs. This journey may be mine to walk, but I am being carried along it by so many people. To the man who searched the highway for me, to Andrew, and to every person who has donated, shared, stopped, brought something, encouraged me, or helped my soldiers along the way: Thank you. I am ever grateful. Hugs. 💙💛 #Support93 #StandWithUkraine
April Huggett21,383 次观看 • 4 天前

As I was leaving a tiny village in Poltava Oblast, I saw two Ukrainian flags flying above a cemetery in the distance. Whenever I pass the grave of a soldier, I step off the road and pay my respects. Because without their sacrifice, none of us would have the freedom to keep walking, speaking or living in Ukraine. This village has only two small stores. It is so small that you could drive through it in fifteen seconds and never know its name. But even here, there is a soldier. Even here, there is a family grieving. Roman. Callsign Zub. I often say that Ukraine is a large country with the soul of a small town. No matter where you go, someone knows someone. A name leads to a friend, a neighbour, the man who repaired your car or the person who owned the shop where everyone bought their supplies. That is why every loss reaches so far. People say that time heals, but war does not give us time. Before one wound can close, another name is added, another family receives the worst news of their lives and another flag rises over another grave. The pain never has the chance to sink beneath the surface. Some people tell Ukraine to surrender, as though survival is something we should negotiate away. But every day lived beyond the grasp of the Kremlin is a victory. The freedom to speak Ukrainian. To love your family. To celebrate your culture. To think freely without being punished for your beliefs. To raise your children without fearing they will be stolen from you. To live without occupation, persecution or terror. These are not small things. They are everything. So whenever I see those flags, I will leave the road. I will take the extra steps. I will stand beside the graves of those who believed so deeply in a free Ukraine that they gave everything for it. They did not die for nothing. They died so that Ukraine could remain Ukraine. Now it is our responsibility, and the responsibility of the free world, to make sure their sacrifice leads to victory. #StandWithUkraine
April Huggett46,450 次观看 • 9 天前

I was 17 kilometers from the 250-kilometer mark. About three hours and twenty minutes. But I could not take another step. I found a farmer’s field where someone had driven through and flattened the wheat, set up my tent, and realized I had lost my sleeping mat somewhere along the road. I did not bring a sleeping bag because I was told it would be too hot. So tonight, there is nothing between me and the ground. This journey has been almost entirely alone, and sometimes the hardest part is not the pain. It is being alone with your own thoughts when your body is exhausted and there is still so far to go. But as I lay my head down tonight, I know I am mostly safe. I am alive. And thousands of people are standing behind the soldiers I am walking for. That is what keeps me moving. We are incredibly close to reaching $50,000, and more than half of it has already been spent on urgently needed equipment. We are now discussing purchasing an ATV with part of what remains. But I fundraise for hundreds of people in my battalion. Hundreds of soldiers whose positions are being destroyed and whose equipment constantly needs to be replaced. The situation back home is not good. Right now, I want to purchase ten power stations to help rebuild several positions. Ten EcoFlows will cost approximately $8,000. Please help us get there. Donate. Share. Comment. Like. Repost. Even the smallest action pushes this farther and helps protect the men and women in my team. Tonight, I sleep on the ground. Tomorrow, I keep walking for them. #Support93 #SupportUkraine
April Huggett26,314 次观看 • 7 天前

Today, I found a wheat field and took what I think might be one of the most iconic videos of this journey. Then I walked on pavement heated by 40°C temperatures for what felt like forever. Eventually, an oasis appeared. A completely empty hotel or motel showed up on the side of the highway. I went inside and asked the woman about the menu. She looked slightly annoyed as she tried to understand my accent. “Borsch. Solyanka. Cutlet.” “Okay. Borsch.” It was a wonderful choice. One thing I have been trying to do throughout this walk is support local businesses whenever I can and eat at least one fresh meal along the way. Thank you to the British military for keeping me fed, but nothing compares to a fresh bowl of borsch after hours on the highway. Even with the heat, and even with all the kilometres still ahead of me before Poltava, I feel completely amped. I am getting so close. Andrew from HUGS Helping Ukraine Grassroots Support 🍁🇨🇦🇺🇦 will be meeting me along the way to bring me a carimat, which means tonight I will finally have something to sleep on. I am so grateful to every volunteer in #Ukraine who has come out to help me, to my friends, and to the people who have supported me throughout the years and continue to support me on this journey. I have been physically alone out here. I drove all the boxes out, delivered them, planned this entire walk, and have been filming, posting, fundraising, and organizing everything along the way. It takes a lot of extra energy, but I have people in the background who continue to show up for me. They check on me while I am walking, ask whether I am okay, and push me to speak up when I need something. I am so grateful for all of you. Our fundraiser is now only $2,200 away from reaching its goal. That money will allow us to secure an ATV for one of the infantry companies in my battalion. It is something they have been asking for for a long time, and I am incredibly grateful that we may finally be able to provide it, especially now. This is a critical moment in Donetsk Oblast. So much has happened since I started walking. We have lost many positions. There is so much happening that I have not yet been able to show you, including some truly shocking footage that I will be sharing in the coming weeks. Please donate if you are able, and please share this fundraiser. We are almost there. #Support93 #StandWithUkraine
April Huggett15,782 次观看 • 4 天前

Those last 17 kilometres felt like a herculean achievement. I was running dangerously low on water. My food was gone. I was exhausted, and I had spent the night sleeping directly on the ground in a wheat field after losing my bedroll. The only landmark I had was a yellow billboard. Just beyond it was a tree line. Somewhere inside those trees, hopefully, was a box I had hidden beneath sticks and leaves containing everything I needed for the next 50 kilometres. It had rained on and off for days. Hiding that box had been a gamble, and I had no idea what I was walking into. But I found it. Walking off the highway and into those trees gave me an immediate burst of energy. Inside that box were the answers to so many of my immediate prayers: water, food, fresh supplies, a clean shirt and clean underwear. Never underestimate what clean underwear can do for morale. I have now officially walked 250 of 681 kilometres. I am one day away from Poltava, and we are less than $4,000 from our $50,000 goal. Today, I am arranging the purchase of ten EcoFlow power stations. We are also looking at purchasing a quadricycle ATV for one of our companies. After that, every dollar donated so far will already be spent. Being close to the goal does not mean the need is over. Hundreds of soldiers are relying on us, and they are waiting for me to come home. This walk is not symbolic. This fundraiser is purchasing equipment that resupplies our positions and saves the lives of my soldiers. We cannot stop now. Please help me help my soldiers and bring these last kilometres home. #Support93 #supportukraine
April Huggett10,866 次观看 • 6 天前

I am making posts I never wanted to make because I am honestly tired and for many people you won’t want to see this. But if I am going to get my mental health back I need to finally talk about the hell I have been living through because of Anne Catherine Magnette - Tatou Ania. This is part 1 of I don’t know how many but today I want to try and take back my peace and focus on #Ukraine
April Huggett168,998 次观看 • 7 个月前

I am a #Canadian woman serving as a medic in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. I have seen what this war does up close. I have seen soldiers joke through exhaustion because if they stop laughing, they might break. I have seen villages emptied, animals left behind, homes turned into ruins, and good people carrying more pain than any human should ever have to carry. And still, every day, our people keep going. But courage does not stop drones. Hope does not replace medical supplies, batteries, radios, vehicles, generators, or the equipment that keeps our soldiers alive. That is why I am asking for help. The Alcatraz Battalion needs support urgently. We are fighting with everything we have, but we are constantly short of what we need. Every delay costs us. Every missing piece of equipment puts someone’s son, daughter, husband, wife, brother, sister, or friend in more danger. I know people are tired. I know the world is overwhelmed. I know there are a million causes asking for your attention. But please don’t look away from Ukraine. Behind every fundraiser is a real person trying to survive another day. Behind every donation is a chance that someone comes home alive. Even the smallest amount matters here. It turns into fuel for evacuations. It turns into medical supplies. It turns into batteries, protection, repairs, and time. Sometimes it turns into the difference between life and death. Donate if you can. Share if you can’t. Send this to someone who might help. We are not asking for comfort. We are asking for the tools to keep fighting, keep rescuing, keep holding the line, and keep our people alive. Ukraine is still here. We are still here. And we still need you. #Support93 #SupportUkraine
April Huggett66,793 次观看 • 2 个月前

After the storm passed, I found myself standing in front of a cemetery outside of Lubny. Row after row of Ukrainian flags. Soldiers from so many brigades. So many names. So many lives that should have continued. And among them was one of ours: Анатолій Олійник. When you stand in a place like this, surrounded by the graves of those who gave everything, the cost of freedom is no longer an idea. It has names. It has faces. It has families who will carry an empty place in their lives forever. Every man and woman buried there sacrificed their future so that Ukraine could have one. They must never be forgotten. This is why I am walking. I walk for those we have lost. I walk for those still fighting. I walk so that the names and sacrifices of my own men are never forgotten, and so the soldiers who are still alive have what they need to survive. My men are on the front line. Their needs are immediate. War does not wait for bureaucracy, paperwork, or permission. Neither can we. Please help me support them: . Do not forget the fallen. Do not forget the thousands upon thousands of Ukrainian men and women still holding the line against russia. They are paying the price for freedom every single day. #Support93 #SupportUkraine
April Huggett17,651 次观看 • 22 天前

It is 4:45 in the morning on the second day of my walk from #Kyiv to #Kramatorsk. Vlad from the Okko came to see me with homemade cutlets and pilaf his mother made for my breakfast. He refused to let me leave without eating. And that is Ukrainians. They can be carrying more than most people could imagine, and still they will show up with food in their hands and kindness in their hearts. They will give what they have, even when they do not have much to give. That is why I am walking. I am walking for the people who still choose goodness in the middle of war. For the families who feed others while their own country burns. For the soldiers in my battalion who stand between these homes and everything trying to destroy them. I am the only foreigner in my battalion. I am one of the only voices here that can reach beyond Ukraine. So I am using it. These men are not only defending one line on a map. They are defending homes, mothers, fields, cities, memories, and the future of Europe. I truly believe that. I need your help to bring silent protection to our soldiers. I need your help to protect this land, because protecting this land means protecting its people. People like Vlad. Please donate. Please share. Please keep walking with me. #StandWithUkraine
April Huggett22,292 次观看 • 1 个月前

This trip has taught me a lot of lessons. Today’s lesson was to check which direction my head is pointing before I fall asleep. I apparently slept downhill, and when I woke up, my face was so swollen that I barely recognized myself. To say I was shocked when I looked in the mirror would be an understatement. A little coffee, electrolytes, breakfast, and some time upright should help. Then I’ll be back on the road. The rain, the pain, the damaged feet, the sleepless nights, and everything else I have gone through so far have been worth it because this walk is for my soldiers. We are now so close to reaching our $50,000 goal. Every donation helps us get closer to providing the equipment and support they need. Thank you to everyone following, sharing, donating, and continuing to walk beside me. #Support93 #SupportUkraine
April Huggett11,024 次观看 • 14 天前

I am in a place where I cannot record but please do not forget: I am a Junior Sergeant in the Alcatraz Battalion battalion, a #Canadian, and a Senior Combat Medic in the Armed Forces of #Ukraine. We are at a critical point. Right now, we still have a window to move equipment into our positions before the fields dry and the enemy can push harder and faster. We urgently need everything from power stations to ground drones and the tools that keep our soldiers alive and effective on the front. This moment matters. What we do now will shape what happens next. Do not be indifferent. Share this. Talk about it. Support it. Donate if you can: Every contribution directly helps us hold the line. #Suppor93 #SupportUkraine
April Huggett51,127 次观看 • 3 个月前

I am a #Canadian, a soldier in the Armed forces of #Ukraine and today I’m begging politicians in #Europe to get off their asses and do something about what is happening. Time for talks has long passed; We all promised “Never Again”. Put action to our words and honour our ancestors who gave their lives for our freedoms. Even if it means giving our lives for our future generations. Ukrainians shouldn’t have to die for us and they shouldn’t have to do this alone. #StandWithUkraine #RussiaIsATerroristState
April Huggett182,742 次观看 • 1 年前

I have officially made it to the cafe slash tire repair shop on the highway in Panfyly, where I ordered borscht and varenyky. After walking through the rain, I cannot explain how excited I am for a hot meal before continuing the rest of today’s journey. This is the first day since I started walking that I have seen any real cooling weather or water falling from the sky, and right now, I am incredibly grateful for it. Foreshadowing… More than anything, I am grateful for every person following this journey, sharing it, supporting my soldiers, and donating to help us rebuild the positions being defended and destroyed at this very moment. While I am walking, my soldiers are still holding the line. Every donation helps us replace what is being lost and gives the next men going into those positions a better chance of coming home. Thank you for continuing to walk beside me. I did not get a very good video of the cafe itself, but if you ever find yourself in Panfyly, it is the only tire repair shop slash cafe on the highway. You cannot miss it. Added a little review for M-TAC 😉 #Support93 #SupportUkraine
April Huggett17,364 次观看 • 29 天前

I’m making my way across #Ukraine, through Poltava, and every kilometer brings me closer to home. Kramatorsk is often spoken about as part of the “fortress belt”, a place of war, a strategic point on a map. But to me, it is so much more than that. Kramatorsk holds my heart. It holds my joy. For the last few years, it has been my safe place in a country at war. And when I finally arrive, I will be returning to an entire family of soldiers, men I love, men I support, and men who have truly become my brothers. I am grateful to every person who looks beyond political tensions and government bureaucracy and remembers who is actually standing on the ground, holding the line. We are not bureaucracy. We are the people living with the consequences of every delayed decision and every argument taking place far from the trenches. When you donate directly to us, you give us the power to act. You allow us to make decisions based on what our soldiers need in this moment. While others debate in offices, your support helps us remain in control, protect our positions, and keep our people alive. Thank you for following my journey. Thank you for believing in my soldiers. Thank you for standing with Ukraine and with those who continue to hold the line. #Support93 #SupportUkraine
April Huggett14,184 次观看 • 23 天前

I am a Canadian in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. A medic in the Alcatraz Battalion battalion. Sometimes people give us advice about what we should do but they are coming from a place of privilege. Privilege not a single one of us gets to enjoy until Russia goes home. #RussiaIsATerroristState #SupportUkraine
April Huggett103,820 次观看 • 9 个月前

I put in more than 20 very wet kilometers today, through the worst rain I have experienced on this trip so far. I am incredibly grateful to M-TAC for their poncho. It kept both me and my gear dry through hours of heavy rain, without making it difficult to keep moving. When you are carrying everything you need on your back, knowing it is protected makes a huge difference. I have used this poncho throughout my journey, but today was the real test and it absolutely held up. Reliable, practical, and something I am genuinely thankful to have with me on this road. #SupportUkraine #militarygear
April Huggett12,202 次观看 • 22 天前