Poles took part in a crowdfunding initiative aimed to gather funds for the purchase of a state-of-the-art Turkish Bayraktar TB-2 drone that will be handed over, once technicalities are resolved, to Ukrainian forces to help them fight for their homeland.
Organised by crowdfunding website “Zrzutka.pl” and Polish journalist Sławomir Sierakowski, the initiative successfully achieved its goal on Sunday collecting a staggering sum of PLN 22.5 million (EUR 4.78 mln) that will be used to purchase a Bayraktar TB-2 drone and hand it over to the Ukrainian Army. The drive will continue for four more days. The surplus amount will be transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
“We are grateful to Sławomir Sierakowski and everyone who took part in raising [the funds] to buy a Bayraktar TB-2 drone for Ukraine! Dear Poland, we are blessed to have a neighbour like you!,” the Ukrainian Defence Ministry tweeted including a “Dziękujemy!” in Polish, meaning “thank you!”.
We are grateful to Slawomir Sierakowski and everyone who took part in raising 22.5 million zloty to buy a Bayraktar TB-2 drone for Ukraine!
Dear Poland, we are blessed to have a neighbour like you!
Dziękujemy!
????? #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/YnO7xkgz06
— Defence of Ukraine (@DefenceU) July 24, 2022
Mr Sierakowski, the organiser of the drive, said that two potential scenarios lie ahead.
“It is possible that the [Turkish armaments company] Baykar will behave as it did during the previous Lithuanian and Ukrainian drives, namely, that it will hand over, being amazed by the social commitment, the drone as a gift. The company will then suggest delegating the collected funds to social ends in Ukraine. This is what we will do accordingly,” Mr Sierakowski said.
“The second scenario is that we would transfer the funds from the zrzutka.pl account to a pertinent institution whose legal statute allows it to purchase weapons. This could be United24, which is a foundation working alongside Ukraine’s president, the National Bank of Ukraine or the Ukrainian Armed Forces Fund. If such should be the case, we would transfer the funds and sign an agreement binding the selected institution to purchase the drone,” he explained.
As Mr Sierakowski put it, “all should be known in several days.”