Camilla Jessen
A creative effort by Ukrainian volunteers in the UK is turning discarded e-cigarettes into lifelines on the battlefield in Ukraine.
After the UK outlawed disposable e-cigarettes, a Ukrainian charity found an unlikely use for them.
What Happens to Millions of Banned Vapes?
In the UK, single-use vapes were banned due to their environmental toll and popularity among teens.
But in one Yorkshire community, these discarded gadgets are now giving Ukrainian soldiers a fighting chance on the front lines.
Vapes Become Vital on the Battlefield
The Leeds Ukrainian Community Association (LUCA) is transforming waste into weaponized utility, harvesting batteries and wires from discarded e-cigarettes and sending them to Ukraine.
There, the materials are reassembled into power banks used to charge drones, phones, night vision gear, and even cooking devices.
“This is sometimes the only source of power,” said Viacheslav Semeniuk, a LUCA trustee, in a BBC interview.
“If we can utilise whatever is not needed anymore and make it for free, why not?”
“Why Not Use What’s Already There?”
Viacheslav Semeniuk, a trustee at LUCA, explained the process to the BBC: “We crack open the vape and pull out the battery, isolate the wires, and pack them into boxes. If we can utilise whatever is not needed anymore and make it for free, why not?”
The method is low-cost and high-impact.
The batteries, once part of the UK’s now-banned disposable vapes, are rewired into compact energy packs. These are then shipped to Ukraine, where volunteers and soldiers use them to charge essential equipment on the front.
A Personal Mission
For Semeniuk, it’s not just a project. It’s personal.
“I feel some kind of guilt that I am not there, fighting on the front line—but I cannot leave my family here,” he told the BBC.
He shared that his daughter’s godfather was killed in action last year, making his work in Leeds a deeply emotional form of service.
Much of the battery salvaging and repurposing happens at home, often with help from his young daughter. Despite limited manpower—just two or three people work on the task regularly—they keep the effort alive.
“This has been ongoing for years, and we are not stopping. We will keep going.”
From Local Charity to Lifesaving Aid
LUCA, which has served Ukrainians in Leeds since 2014, quickly shifted gears after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
In addition to the vape battery project, the group has:
- Organized concerts, BBQs, and film screenings to raise money
- Sent clothing and supplies to displaced people in Ukraine
- Partnered with other charities to increase humanitarian support
A Broader Effort from the UK
This grassroots work complements larger aid deliveries from the UK. In a separate effort, Britain has sent:
- 30 fire and rescue vehicles
- Over 15,000 pieces of rescue equipment
These deliveries were organized by FIRE AID, working with the National Fire Chiefs Council and supported by the UK Government and Home Office.
This marks the eighth humanitarian convoy sent from the UK since the start of the full-scale war.
One Man’s Trash, Another Country’s Lifeline
Before the UK banned disposable vapes, around 8.2 million were discarded weekly. Today, a portion of those are being transformed into unexpected tools of resilience.
What was once viewed as a health hazard and environmental waste is now keeping Ukrainian soldiers alive, warm, and connected.
