(Lincoln, NE) -- The states of Nebraska and Iowa team up to send protective equipment to fighters in Ukraine who are battling Russian forces.
On Wednesday, Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts announced that hundreds of pieces of expired protective equipment had been collected from across the state to send to Ukraine. "We've been able to collect 550 pieces of protective equipment, including 321 body armor vests and 69 helmets."
Ricketts says that although the equipment is expired, it will still help Ukrainian fighters. "We have units that are expired, so they're past their warranty and they're no longer usable by law enforcement because they are expired, but functionally they still work and they'll still provide protection."
Earlier on Wednesday, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds made a similar announcement. Iowa law enforcement collected 146-protective helmets and 700-bullet proof vests. The equipment from Nebraska and Iowa was loaded on a plane Wednesday morning and sent to Ukraine.