In a workshop in western Ukraine, a technician repaired a metal bracket attached to a racing plane to allow it to carry a grenade, turning an aircraft sold in hobby shops into a deadly weapon.
Nearby were two American businessmen who arrived at the workshop with a dozen other gift planes, which became a torrent of Ukrainian military aid. But that’s not part of the state-funded weapons being sent to Ukraine to help the country fight a more powerful Russian army in the east.
Instead, the planes are part of a multi-billion dollar open air campaign that will raise millions of dollars in donations, as well as small arms and other military equipment for the Ukrainian military. To encourage donations, Ukrainian officials and private companies are making direct appeals online to sympathetic foreigners, despite continuing to pressure governments to supply heavier weapons.
One of the American businessmen, Chad Caper, said his journey started with a phone call from a friend of a Ukrainian runner.
I said, Listen, what do you need when you need something? “Do you know if we can supply parts or not?” ‘And he said, ‘Yes, what can you do?’
For many donors involved, this conflict has an unusual moral clarity.
“We made a mistake with Iraq, as well as with Vietnam. “We went to places we shouldn’t be,” said another American businessman who brought in the drones, a Tennessee businessman who wished to remain anonymous for security reasons. “These people are not asking us to introduce ourselves, they are just asking for our support. “All we can do is support them.”
While Ukraine receives significant shipments of heavy weapons from the United States and other governments, the online campaign has garnered widespread Western sympathy and made significant donations to the country’s war effort. Donations include dual-use items such as hobby drones; Military equipment such as night vision goggles; body armor, shotguns and ammunition; And free lobbying services by US companies.
The largest campaign, a social media appeal for donations from the Ukrainian embassy in Prague, has raised about $30 million from 100,000 donors three weeks after its launch, including donations from around the world, Czech officials said.
“We urge everyone to financially support fundraising for immediate assistance in purchasing military equipment for the Ukrainian military and civil defense units,” the embassy said in a Facebook post in February.
The Czech government, which also benefits from the sale of its own weapons, said it would accelerate purchases.
Another Ukrainian website offers a list of groups seeking donations, including cryptocurrencies, items such as thermal imaging equipment, airplanes, and satellite phones.
During each well-attended campaign, there have been concerns about fraud and Ukraine’s pre-war battle corruption. But so far, there have been no reports of breaches that have brought more weapons to online efforts.
With perhaps its boldest call, the Ukrainian company launched a government-approved call last month to crowdfund the purchase of a fighter jet.
“Sell the fighter plane. “It will help me protect the skies full of my Russian planes,” the white-haired Ukrainian fighter pilot said in English.
The website explained that the MiG-29 or Su could be bought in any of several countries for much less than the new $20 million.
“For this reason, we are appealing to international companies, entrepreneurs and anyone who can join the initiative,” the website said, happily adding, “Join us! Teamwork makes a dream come true!” A company representative said: A week after the campaign began, they raised about $140,000 and admitted that the fund was for millionaires.
“ᲛᲔ “I find it hard to believe that they can buy a fighter jet, use it for a purpose and, you know, get the right people with the right training,” said Simon Schlegel, a Ukrainian analyst at Crisis Group. † “I think this is really something that’s probably more of a marketing ploy.”
Stephen Flanagan, a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation and director of defense policy for the National Security Agency, said the US public’s involvement in the war pressured the US government to provide lethal aid to US Ukrainians. Army.
U.S. export licenses are required for supplying arms to Ukraine, but the Commerce Department said in March it was speeding up approval for exports of arms and ammunition shipped by America. Giving away dual-purpose items, such as hobby drones, encounters a number of obstacles.
“For drone enthusiasts, it’s virtually impossible to do anything with military equipment,” said Caper, co-founder of Rotor Riot. “Hobbies are not regulated in any way, so they can be used as much as possible,” said Caper, a well-known figure in the world of international aviation racing.
Caper’s hobby drones are known as first-person view for images sent to the pilot’s goggles and are on the other end of the fighter spectrum. But they seem to be filling the void as Ukraine expects more supplies of military aircraft.
“They call me from different places, from different battalions and say, can you send more? We have left,” said a Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), who wanted to be identified only by his middle name Oleksandr. For security reasons, he asked for the location of the drone center.
Alexander said the drones brought in by the Americans would be used to transport explosives or to observe Russian fighter jets on the front lines.
The war story of a weaker country defending a powerful aggressor and the specter of genocide in Europe resonated widely among Americans and others around the world.
“You know, after I sent the money, I just didn’t feel like I was doing enough,” said a Tennessee businessman. “I have the resources and connections in this part of the world. “And I knew I could make changes by doing certain things to help deliver the planes.”
The businessman, who said the Ukrainian military had contacted him for help, said he was setting up a charity so that people could make donations to buy drones for Ukraine. Despite other changes to the planes, he said the plane’s donation was for “humanitarian purposes.”
“Nothing is illegal,” he said. “They asked for drones. What they do with it is entirely up to them.”
In addition to carrying grenades, drones at speeds of up to 70 miles per hour are used by Ukrainian forces for advanced surveillance of Russian units, artillery and destroyed buildings or forests, using infrared cameras. Many hobby drones that cost $1,000 or more are short-lived.
“The enemy is attacking them, so some of them are only alive for a day or two,” Alexander said. “But they’ll have important missions in a day or two. We defend ourselves. “We are not crossing the border with Russia, we are in our homeland.”
In 2014, Ukrainian civilians responded to the Russian invasion by mobilizing in Crimea to support insufficient equipment and untrained military personnel, laying the foundation for much of the pivotal effort in this war.
“It’s really amazing how much roots this advocacy effort has in civil society,” said Mr. Schlegel of the Crisis Group. “There are small networks of people who can buy almost anything except heavy weapons.
Schlegel said the dissemination of videos from the front lines and social media that use open source information to analyze conflict dynamics has also bolstered public engagement in the conflict.
“Social media was very close to the front lines, much closer than in historic wars,” he said. “This is the biggest land war in many people’s lives, and for many people, tanks were seen in action on this scale for the first time.”
Source: La Neta Neta
Smith Charles is a talented entertainment journalist and author at The Nation View. He has a passion for all things entertainment and writes about the latest movies, TV shows, music, and celebrity news. He’s known for his in-depth interviews with actors, musicians, and other industry figures, and his ability to provide unique perspectives on the entertainment industry.
