News item | 05-05-2026 | 06:45
The Netherlands will donate a total of 20 prison buses to the Ukrainian prison system in 2026. The war has put pressure on the prison system in Ukraine and there is a need for additional equipment to continue carrying out the work. State Secretary for Justice and Security, Claudia van Bruggen, handed over the first 4 vehicles in Lviv, Ukraine.
State Secretary Claudia van Bruggen of Justice and Security: “Ukraine is short of almost everything due to the war. Also equipment to run their prisons. By donating prison buses, we support Ukraine in a practical way and ensure that Ukraine can keep their society safe, even in wartime. At the same time, we give the vehicles a second life in this way.”
Ukraine has asked for support at a European level due to a shortage of transport capacity for detainees. The Netherlands is responding to this request with the donation of 20 used, but technically sound buses from the Custodial Institutions Agency. The vehicles are no longer used in the Netherlands and are thus sustainably reused.
The delivery of the 20 buses will take place in phases. The first 4 vehicles have now been transferred. The remaining 16 will follow later this year. The Netherlands and Ukraine have also made agreements to further strengthen cooperation between the two prison services.
