Tuesday, February 24 marked two different occasions for Lithuania’s friends. To the north, fellow Baltic state Estonia celebrated Independence Day. To the southeast, Ukraine entered the fourth year of defending against full-scale invasion by Russia.

“The Estonians are celebrating their independence today. Ukrainians are fighting for it in war,” commented Benediktas Vanagas. “Four years since the massive barbaric attack.

“With such eastern ‘neighbors,’ we must always be prepared. It has never been any different. It probably never will be.”

The Dakar and FIA Baja veteran has been one of Ukraine’s biggest champions in the rally raid world, long before the invasion began in 2022. He brought a Ukrainian flag alongside that of his native Lithuania to the 2017 Dakar Rally, and routinely donates items like rally tires to the AFU. Ukrainian troops have been receptive to the latter in particular for their durability, and Vanagas has stated his plan to send the new BFGoodrich KDR3 EVO 2.0 that debuted at this year’s Dakar.

Vanagas retired from January’s Dakar after a rollover in Stage 5. While the damage was serious enough to knock him out of the race, a postmortem found that much of the Hilux is still intact since the right rear and fuel tank absorbed most of the impact whenever the car hit the ground.

Lithuania has been one of Ukraine’s largest supporters, and understandably so given the Baltics’ occupation by the Soviet Union. Vanagas is a reservist in the Lithuanian National Defence Volunteer Forces, so he is likewise aware of the ramifications on Europe that Russian aggression poses. Many of his fellow Lithuanian rally raiders have also donated to Ukraine or spoken up in support, including 2026 Dakar Stock and Truck winners Rokas Baciuška and Vaidotas Žala as well as Dakar Classic stage-winning navigator Ignas Daunoravičius.

Following Dakar, Vanagas testified in court for alleged credit fraud involving his company Nacionalinis automobilių klubas, which was accused of taking over €150 thousand in EU funds.

Featured image credit: Benediktas Vanagas