Slovaks raise money for almost 2,700 artillery shells for Ukraine

This was reported to the Czech news agency ČTK by organizers and partners of the fundraiser, Ukrinform reports.

These ammunition rounds should be delivered to Ukraine no later than the end of summer.

The Slovak fundraiser kicked off in April in response to the government's refusal to support a Czech initiative to procure ammunition for Ukraine outside the EU. Public activists set themselves the target of EUR 1 million at the outset of the campaign entitled "If it’s not the government, it’s us." They managed to meet the target within just two days. So far, more than 65,000 people and organizations have donated more than EUR 4.17 million, and counting. The largest individual contribution stood at EUR 100,000.

"We consult with the Czech Ministry of Defense regarding all purchases. They confirm to us whether the price is suitable," Dodo Dobrik, a member of the ‘Gift for Putin’ project, told reporters. The initiative, which is supported by the Czech Foundation for Ukraine, cooperates with the organizers of the Slovak gathering.

According to Dobrik, the memorandum on the purchase of ammunition as part of the Slovak fundraiser will be signed off in May.

It should be recalled that the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, whose government halted defense aid to Ukraine from own stocks after taking office last year, previously referred to the fundraising campaign as a “symbolic” effort.

One of the organizers of the fundraiser is the Mír Ukrajne (Peace to Ukraine) initiative, which last year took part in another successful project for the purchase of a Slovak-made demining system Bozena that was donated to Ukraine.