United to win: Star Wars’ Mark Hamill and historian Timothy Snyder organize fundraiser to buy 30 demining robots for Ukraine

Historian Timothy Snyder and actor Mark Hamill, ambassadors for the UNITED24 fundraising platform, have announced the Safe Terrain fundraiser for 30 demining robots.

Rubryka reports that Deputy Prime Minister for Innovations, Development of Education, Science and Technologies—Minister for Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov reported this on Telegram.

What is the problem?

Because of the Russian invasion and ongoing hostilities, there is a high presence of explosive objects in Ukraine. Many experts consider Ukraine to be one of the most heavily mined countries in the world.

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia, the amount of Ukrainian land affected by mines and explosive objects has reached 174,000 square kilometers. Over 5 million Ukrainians now reside in these areas.

What is the solution?

Hence, historian Timothy Snyder and American actor Mark Hamill, the ambassadors of the UNITED24 fundraising platform, have unveiled the Safe Terrain campaign to raise $441,000 for the acquisition of 30 demining robots for Ukraine.

How does it work?

"For his birthday, Timothy Snyder is joining forces with another UNITED24 ambassador, Mark Hamill, for a joint Safe Terrain fundraiser for 30 demining robots," the message reads.

According to Fedorov, each of these robots can work in difficult-to-access locations, most importantly, at a safe distance from the operator and at a faster rate than a sapper. The overall objective of the fundraiser is to raise $441,000.

You can join the collection by following the link.

For reference:

UNITED24, the donation platform founded by the Ukrainian President, is the primary channel for collecting donations supporting Ukraine.

In just 25 months, the platform has raised over $669 million from donors in more than 110 countries. The platform's ambassadors include acclaimed singer and actress Barbra Streisand; renowned actors Mark Hamill, Mark Strong, Liev Schreiber, and Misha Collins; talented actresses Katheryn Winnick, Ivanna Sahno, Alyssa Milano, and Hilary Swank; popular band Imagine Dragons, Balenciaga's art director Demna, filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius, astronaut Scott Kelly, historian Timothy Snyder, entrepreneur Richard Branson, country artist Brad Paisley, adventurer Bear Grylls, philosopher and economist Francis Fukuyama, chef Jose Andres, and Nobel laureates Paul Nurse, Edward Moser, and May-Britt Moser. Also, prominent Ukrainian athletes Andrii Shevchenko, Elina Svitolina, Oleksandr Usyk, and Oleksandr Zinchenko are ambassadors for the platform.

As Rubryka previously reported, the American actor and United24 ambassador Misha Collins announced the collection of $450,000 to purchase a multifunctional pyrotechnic machine for sappers.

Mark Hamill, also known as the UNITED24 ambassador and widely recognized for his role as Luke Skywalker in "Star Wars," aided in the fundraising efforts for RQ-35 Heidrun drones destined for Ukraine's armed forces. These unmanned aerial vehicles have already been delivered to Ukraine.

In addition, Rubryka reported that Mark Hamill raised more than $1.5 million for drones for the Ukrainian army.

The professors of the world's leading universities supported the collection of their colleague from Yale University, Snyder, on the air target detection system.

Over two years, the UNITED24 fundraising platform implemented more than 100 projects to support Ukraine. In particular, it participated in the creation of the world's first fleet of naval drones, collected funds for drones, and reconstructed the country.