Lithuanian Citizens Raise $4.7 Million to Purchase an Advanced Drone for the Ukrainian Army

Hundreds of Lithuanian citizens rallied together to raise nearly $5 million to purchase an advanced military drone for Ukraine to use in its ongoing war against Russia.

Citing the Lithuanian online channel Laisves TV that launched the effort, Reuters reported on Saturday that the fundraising campaign was completed in just three and a half days and consisted largely of small donations from ordinary Lithuanian citizens. The money, totaling $4.7 million, will now be used to purchase the Bayraktar TB2 drone, an unmanned aerial vehicle that has proven so successful against Russian forces.

“This is the first case in history when ordinary people raise money to buy something like Bayraktar. It is unprecedented and unbelievable,” Peshta Petro, Ukraine’s ambassador to Lithuania, told Lesvis TV.

Ukraine has purchased nearly two dozen Bayraktar TB2 drones from the Turkish company Baykar in recent years, and received an additional 16 in early March. Drones have become legendary in the nation’s defense, and are even the subject of a folk song claiming Bayraktar “makes ghosts out of Russian bandits,” according to The New Yorker.

Lithuania, a country of the former Soviet Union and NATO Member outspoken critic of the invasion. Along with other Baltic states, she has expressed concerns that Russia could expand the war into her own country, and has moved to ramp up security efforts in recent months.

Earlier this week, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Moscow accused of “genocide”, He warned that if Ukraine ceded its territory to Russia to help broker peace, it could “normalize” what the Russian president said. Russian President Vladimir Putinsystem trying to achieve. Many Lithuanians, who had donated to help buy Bayraktar, expressed their happiness to assist the Eastern European country in its efforts to end the bloody war.

“Before this war began, none of us thought we would buy weapons. But now it’s normal. Something has to be done for the world to improve,” said 32-year-old Agni Belikit, who sent €100 as soon as the collection kicked off. donations on Wednesday, according to Reuters.

“I donated to buy weapons for Ukraine a while ago. I will do so until victory,” she added, noting that she was motivated in part by fears that Russia might attack Lithuania.

The Russian invasion began over three months ago and has so far resulted in the deaths of thousands of Ukrainian troops and civilians. However, the Russian army faced great opposition, and it did. He had a few military successes.