United to win: Latvian foreign minister raises €14,000 for Ukraine’s armed forces drone fund during half-marathon

The head of Latvia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Baiba Braze, recently ran her first half-marathon to raise funds for drones for Ukraine. Currently, 13,500 euros have been collected, with the amount steadily increasing.

The Latvian diplomat reported that on X.

The minister ran in the Riga Marathon, completing 21 kilometers to raise funds for the Ukrainian military.

"The half marathon was tough, but I'm glad to be among 34,000 participants and finishers. I did it!" said the official after covering the distance.

At the time of the race, she was number 815 – the number of days since the start of a full-scale Russian war.

"So far, we have collected 13.5 thousand euros for drones for Ukraine!" wrote Braze

The Latvian diplomat called for further support for the collection.

"I am infinitely grateful to everyone who supported [the fundraiser—ed.]. We would be grateful for further donations," wrote Braze.

After her post, the collection amount had already exceeded 14 thousand euros.

Funding for drones on the Ziedot platform is carried out in cooperation with the Embassy of Ukraine in Latvia.

In addition to Braze, other ministry employees and diplomats also participated in the marathon to collect funds for drones.

Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, thanked his Latvian colleague, writing that her action in practice confirms the phrase about supporting Ukraine "as much as is necessary for its victory."

"I appreciate your sincere support for Ukraine and see it as a demonstration of Latvia's strong solidarity with our country and people. Thank you!" stressed the head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.

Thank you, @Braze_Baiba, for proving the phrase "as long as it takes for Ukraine to win" both in person and in practice! I appreciate your genuine support for Ukraine and see it as a demonstration of Latvia's strong solidarity with our country and people. Paldies!

— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) May 19, 2024

For reference:

Earlier, Estonian MP Kristo Ann Vaga rode his bike from Tallinn to Kyiv to raise funds for cars and FPV drones to support Ukrainian defenders.

As Rubryka reported, on April 29, Kristo Ann Vaga, a member of the State Defense Commission of the Estonian Parliament and the Ukraine-Estonia parliamentary group, set off on a bicycle from Tallinn to Kyiv to run in support of Ukraine.

Kristo Ann Vaga came to Rivne from Tallinn by bicycle. The man covered over a thousand kilometers in almost a week of travel. In this way, he collects money for Ukraine's armed forces and plans to travel to Kyiv.

He also went to Zhytomyr, where he paid tribute to the fallen defenders of Ukraine. An internally displaced person from Mykolaiv accompanied him on his way from Rivne.