Disaster response teams in Ukraine are to be given emergency special forces rations to sustain them while rescuing war victims. 

Made up of charities and NGOs, the teams working in the war-torn country, and its neighbouring countries will receive half a million specially designed packs for them and the people they are rescuing to ensure they have a secure and safe source of nutrition while carrying out lifesaving work. 

The rations, which have been developed by sustainable performance nutrition experts at Swindon-based Resilient Nutrition, are based on those used by special forces and the Royal Marines, as well as record-breaking adventurers during expeditions to Mount Everest and K2.

They contain concentrated energy and nutrition, including clinically proven ingredients to help the teams remain focused and alert as well as properly nourished throughout their mission, as well as providing high-calorie meal replacements for those rescued. 

Ali Macdonald, former soldier and CEO at Resilient Nutrition, said that their previous experience working with first responders and crisis response teams operating in disaster zones made them perfectly placed to bring together the right supplies for those on the ground in Ukraine and the surrounding area.

She said: “Having previously worked in surveillance and reconnaissance, being self-sufficient in some pretty inhospitable environments for weeks on end, helped us understand not just the nutritional needs but the constraints and challenges faced by the teams on the ground."