Solutions to win: Prytula Fund and Uklon start fundraiser for 2,000 drones for Ukrainian forces
Photo: FPV drone / heroesukraine.org
Volunteer Serhii Prytula and the Uklon ride-sharing service company joined forces to raise money for 2,000 FPV drones for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Prytula announced the fundraiser in an interview with Radio NV, Rubryka reports.
What is the problem?
Ukrainian and Russian forces use First-Person-View (FPV) drones in combat operations on mass, which has radically changed modern warfare.
One or more cheap drones can destroy equipment worth millions of dollars. Many videos of the combat drone use at the front line prove the effectiveness of the munition.
However, these drones are often disposable in intense hostilities, and given the amount of equipment and strength the Russian forces have, Ukrainian defenders need to have thousands of drones to counter the danger.
What is the solution?
The Serhiy Prytula Foundation said that the FPV drone was an effective weapon. The fund believes the more such drones the Ukrainian military has, the more Russian dugouts will be dismantled, equipment damaged, and troops destroyed.
With domestic production of FPV drones intensively developing in Ukraine, it is easy to find reliable and affordable producers who could build the needed drone fleet.
How does it work?
Volunteer Serhii Prytula told Radio NV that FPV drones were assembled "not only in garages from components imported from China." He stressed that he witnessed tangible successes in FPV drone production in Ukraine.
"One of the [drone] companies has already localized with 70% of components produced here in Ukraine. That is, dependence on foreign components will decrease, decrease, and decrease over time," the Ukrainian volunteer said. "There are initiatives from our partners from abroad, who plan to create — I quote their words — a hub of components for Ukrainian drone manufacturers."
The charity fund named a new fundraiser, "Swarm of Revenge," and started collecting donations to purchase 2,000 FPV drones for the most effective units of the Ukrainian forces and train 420 FPV drone pilots at the "Boriviter" military school.
"Simply buying a lot of drones is not enough. They need to be put in the hands of trained pilots," said Prytula.
The Uklon transportation company made the first contribution of ₴3 million ($82,500) to the project.
In early August this year, the Ukrainian defense minister at that time, Oleksii Reznikov, announced that his department was commissioning the tenth model of the FPV drone for the Armed Forces.
Over 15 months, the defense ministry had put into operation more than 30 models of various types of drones, namely, for surveillance, strikes, and loitering munitions, Reznikov added.
Rubryka reported the Serhiy Prytula Foundation and Ukrainian bloggers Serhii Sternenko and Ihor Lachenkov announced the fundraiser "We Can Repeat" to purchase long-range Morok drones for the Ukrainian forces.
The Serhiy Prytula Foundation and Ukrainian retail companies recently launched a joint fundraiser for armored vehicles. Customers of partner companies can contribute by donating their bonuses accumulated in loyalty programs to purchase six tracked armored personnel carriers and 16 armored SUVs.
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