On 17 November a group of Czech volunteers called Darek pro Putina (Gift for Putin) will begin collecting donations to buy a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter for Ukraine, the organisation announced on 15 November.
“We would like to buy it and send it to Ukraine to help them fight against the Russians,” the volunteers said.
According to the statement, the raised money will stay in the Czech Republic and be given to Czech defense companies that manufacture weapons for Ukraine.
This Czech initiative has been fundraising for some time and sending various defense equipment to Ukraine. Their most well-known project was the purchase of 15 Viktor anti-aircraft defense systems. Through that initiative, the Czech volunteers managed to raise 90 million Czech crowns ($ 4 mn). The Viktor systems are capable to protec strategic and civilian sites from kamikaze drone strikes. They are assembled at the Czech company Excalibur Army’s factory.
Darek pro Putina has also raised funds for a tank and a RM-70 rocket launcher system. For this project, the initiative has raised $ 2.3 mn.
The UH-60 Black Hawk was created by the American company Sikorsky. The versatile helicopter has become a platform used by all military branches over the past 50+ years.
Ukraine’s military intelligence already uses the American Black Hawk, which surpasses Ukraine’s Soviet-era Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters.
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