An Amazon employee working at the Sutton fulfilment centre has returned home after volunteering in the relief effort at the border between Romania and Ukraine.

Laurentiu Ioan, originally from Romania and now working at Amazon as an inbound support service problem solver, volunteered to help with the gathering and transportation of supplies before they were taken in convoy to Ukraine.

Shortly after the war broke out, he travelled from the UK to Romania and met volunteers gathering and delivering supplies, such as clothes, food and medicine.

Laurentiu said: “I was listening to the radio and heard a woman’s plea for help. I felt very emotional after hearing it and decided I wanted to help in any way I could. I felt I had a responsibility to provide support for those in need in Ukraine.

“I went into work and asked for some time off to support the Ukraine effort.

“Amazon were more than helpful in ensuring I could provide assistance. They even offered extra time off, should I need it.”

Talking about the process of transporting goods from Romania to Ukraine, Laurentiu added: “It was difficult because of a 7pm curfew that was in place for citizen safety. We had to meet another convoy, approximately 60km from the border in Romania, and transfer the goods. That convoy took the supplies across the border and into Ukraine.

“It was an intimidating experience, but extremely rewarding to play a role in providing Ukrainian citizens with some help during this crisis.”

Laurentiu hopes to visit Ukraine soon. “Ukrainian citizens require support more than ever, as the situation has continued to worsen in their country,” he added. “I am so grateful I can help.”

Vivek Khanka, site leader at Amazon, Sutton, said: “We commend Laurentiu’s commitment to volunteering for people in Ukraine. His actions set an example to those around him and we are extremely proud to have him on our team.”

Amazon has launched two humanitarian aid hubs in Slovakia and Poland to assist with the crisis in Ukraine.