In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, more than 400 thousand euros were raised for Black Hawk helicopters for Ukraine during a single week.
Czechs and Slovaks have raised over 400 thousand euros for the initiative “Dárek pro Putina” which intends to send helicopters for Ukrainian military intelligence. The Czech initiative “Gift for Putin” (Dárek pro Putina) reported this on the X network.
“Over the past week, Czechs and Slovaks have been raising funds for a Black Hawk helicopter for Ukrainian military intelligence. Over 400 thousand euros were raised this week,” the statement said.
The Czech collection for Black Hawk started on November 16. The organizers’ goal is to raise 105 million CZK, which is the estimated cost of the helicopter and its maintenance.
Cześć bracia🇵🇱, od tygodnia Czesi i Słowacy składają się na helikopter Black Hawk dla ukraińskiego wywiadu wojskowego. W ciągu tego tygodnia zebraliśmy ponad 400 000 euro. Wszystkie ważne informacje znajdziecie tutaj: https://t.co/Mp12Sndz01. Dziękujemy za pomoc i wsparcie!🚁🫡 pic.twitter.com/IIqscp7064
— Dárek pro Putina (@DarPutinovi) November 23, 2023
On November 17, representatives of the initiative “A Gift for Putin” showed the Black Hawk, which will be transferred to Ukraine.
“It’s in good condition, and if we hand it over, it will be used for operations by the Ukrainian military intelligence, which wants to use it for special operations and pilot training,” the organizers said at a press conference.
The UH-60 Black Hawk is an American tactical multi-purpose helicopter developed by Sikorsky. It is designed to transport personnel and various military cargoes and evacuate the wounded.
It was confirmed that the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry already uses the Black Hawk. However, no state has officially confirmed its intention to transfer the helicopter or its transfer to the Ukrainian side.
The Gift for Putin initiative is best known for raising money for a 30 million CZK modernized T-72 for Ukraine, which was named Tomas in honor of the first president of Czechoslovakia.
On November 18, the NGO “Gift for Putin” launched a new collection for Ukraine dedicated to the 34th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution. The funds will be used to purchase a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.
This event shows that despite the arrival of a pro-Russian Prime Minister in Slovakia (Robert Fico) and rhetoric about the so-called “fatigue about the war in Ukraine”, ordinary European citizens make efforts and donate to help Ukraine win the defense war against the Russian invaders.
