photo by: Douglas County Sheriff's Office

Lt. Clark Rials with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office compiles a donation of 20 ballistic vests to aid Ukraine in defending itself against Russia's invasion. The vests, because they're past their warranty date, cannot be used by local deputies but still have value as defensive gear.

Like many organizations, agencies and individuals across the globe, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is contributing to Ukraine’s effort to defend itself against Russia’s deadly invasion.

The office has donated bulletproof body armor — specifically 20 ballistic vests — to help Ukraine in its fight against President Vladimir Putin’s military, which invaded the country on Feb. 24.

“In law enforcement we seek to help however we can and when we can,” Sheriff Jay Armbrister told the Journal-World Friday. “Like the rest of this community, we have felt very helpless and have wanted a way to help the people of Ukraine.”

That opportunity arrived when the National Guard asked Kansas law enforcement agencies if they could contribute to the effort.

The vests donated by Armbrister’s office are past their warranty date, and local deputies would not be able to use them anyway, though they still have value as protective gear.

“It is our hope that our tiny little donation will provide some safety to someone who may not have had it otherwise,” Armbrister said.

The vests will be sent to the California National Guard, which is coordinating the effort. Ukraine and the California National Guard have partnered in a program for nearly 30 years that has aimed to help the former Soviet state become an independent democracy with a military that can defend its people.

California National Guard Maj. Gen. David S. Baldwin recently said in an interview with a California TV station that Ukraine was “at the forefront of fighting for democracy” and “the rest of the world is rallying in support like no one expected to see.”

He said Russia was targeting civilians “in a terror campaign.”

“What they’re doing is to try and encircle the cities and rain fire down on trapped civilians in order to force them to surrender or to force the Ukrainians to the bargaining table,” he said.

As of Tuesday, the Office of the United Nations’ High Commissioner for Human Rights has recorded 2,571 civilian casualties in Ukraine: 977 killed and 1,594 injured. The UN office believes that the actual figures are considerably higher, “as the receipt of information from some locations where intense hostilities have been going on has been delayed.”

The Lawrence Police Department is also planning a vest collection effort for Ukraine, said Laura McCabe, LPD’s communications manager, on Friday afternoon.