United to win: Professors from top universities join forces to back fundraiser for air threat detection system for Ukraine

Renowned scholars Francis Fukuyama from Stanford University, Rory Finnin from Cambridge, Timothy Garton Ash from Oxford, and Serhii Plokhii from Harvard have joined a charitable fundraising initiative led by their colleague Timothy Snyder through the UNITED24 platform. The Yale University professor and ambassador for the platform are raising funds for an air target identification system to aid the Ukrainian Air Forces.

Distinguished academics have come together to protect Ukrainians from Russian strikes in the upcoming winter. Each professor recorded a video urging people to contribute to the fundraiser, Rubryka reports.

Francis Fukuyama, a philosopher, political scientist, Stanford University professor, and UNITED24 ambassador, stressed, "Russia continuously launches hundreds of drones and missiles at targets in Ukraine to deprive Ukrainians of access to basic necessities such as electricity, water, and heat. Now we can help protect Ukraine's critical infrastructure."

Timothy Garton Ash, a historian, Oxford University professor, and one of TIME magazine's 100 most influential people in 2005, called for support, stating, "The 'Safe Sky' sensor system will help protect many peaceful Ukrainians during a very harsh upcoming winter, keeping them warm and providing light. Please visit the UNITED24 website and make a donation. Many Ukrainians will be grateful to you."

Serhii Plokhii, a historian and Harvard University professor of Ukrainian history, said, "The 'Safe Sky' system can help protect Ukrainian cities and villages from terrorist attacks by the Russian Federation during the most horrifying and brutal war since 1945. Since the end of World War II."

Rory Finnin, a Ukrainianist, literary scholar, and Cambridge University professor, said, "It's hard to understand how we can bring a bit of peace and security to our world. That's why it's important to remember that supporting the free people of Ukraine as they defend themselves against Russian aggression is a key way to do so. Russian aggressors have long bet that we would give in. They bet that we would abandon our principles for short-term compromises. In reality, this will only bring war and suffering to Europe in the future. Let's unite to show them how wrong they are about us. Let's unite to show them how little they know about our determination and resilience."

The "Safe Sky" is a modern Ukrainian-made system capable of detecting airborne targets, even those flying at low altitudes, and predicting their routes for neutralization. Using artificial intelligence, the system also anticipates potential threats.

During tests in 11 regions of Ukraine, "Safe Sky" effectively demonstrated its capabilities against cruise missiles and Shahed 136 UAVs, detecting 100% of airborne threats without any errors. To effectively protect itself, Ukraine needs 12,500 sensors. Donations to Professor Snyder's fundraiser through UNITED24 can be made here.

UNITED24 is a fundraising platform initiated by the President of Ukraine and serves as the primary channel for collecting donations to support Ukraine. In one and a half years of operation, UNITED24 has raised $494,951,054 from donations in more than 110 countries. Among the platform's ambassadors are singer and actress Barbra Streisand, actors Mark Hamill, Liev Schreiber, Misha Collins, and Mark Strong, Imagine Dragons band, Balenciaga artistic director Demna, director Michel Hazanavicius, astronaut Scott Kelly, historian Timothy Snyder, British entrepreneur Richard Branson, country singer Brad Paisley, British adventurer Bear Grylls, philosopher, and economist Francis Fukuyama, chef José Andrés, Nobel laureates Paul Nurse, Edward Mozer, and May-Britt Mozer, and prominent Ukrainian athletes Andriy Shevchenko, Elina Svitolina, Oleksandr Usyk, and Oleksandr Zinchenko.

As previously reported by Rubryka, historians Timothy Snyder, Serhii Plokhii, Yaroslav Hrytsak, and dozens of other scientists are launching the project "Ukrainian History: A Global Initiative."

A book by Ukrainian historian Serhii Plokhii, "Russian-Ukrainian War: The Return of History," has been included in The Telegraph's ranking of the best publications of 2023.