Slovakia joined the initiative of the Czech government and started collecting money through a public collection called Ammunition for Ukraine — If not the government, we send.
more than 14,500 people from all over Slovakia contributed an amount exceeding 1,000,000 Euros in just 41 hours. After a successful start, the collection continues. Citizen initiatives stand behind it, its leader is OZ MIER UKRAINE. The project was created in response to the decision of the Slovak government, which refused to join the initiative of the Czech Republic.
The civic fundraiser started on Tuesday, April 16, and after its rapid start, the first set milestone — 250,000 Euros — was overcome after the first 13 hours. It took a total of 27 hours to cross the half-million mark, and the amount of 1,000,000 euros was donated by people in less than two days. According to Zuzana Suchová from the fundraising platform Donio, “this civic collection, in the context in which it is happening, will create a new milestone in philanthropy and will also be an important expression of the attitude, courage and solidarity of many Slovaks towards the situation in Ukraine”.
The organizers of the collection consider the strong response of civil society as a clear message for the Slovak government and an expression of disagreement with its foreign policy. “We are amazed by the wave of solidarity of Slovenians and Slovaks with the bravely defending Ukraine. It has been confirmed that there are many people living in Slovakia who understand that our neighbor is fighting for his and our freedom and that he has the right to defend himself. We thank everyone who has participated in the collection so far and encourage others to also donate ammunition for Ukraine,” says Zuzana Izsáková from the PEACE UKRAINE initiative.
More than 20 countries participated in the Czech government’s global project to purchase ammunition for Ukraine, Slovakia was absent from them due to the government’s refusal. It was added only by this civic collection and it was confirmed that many ordinary people stand on the side of truth and freedom.
“After less than two days of collection, it is clear that thanks to civil society, Slovakia will send at least one million euros to purchase ammunition for Ukraine. People have shown great desire and willingness to help, for which we thank them very much and will be grateful for further donations. All funds that will be continuously collected will be used through the initiative Gift for Putin according to the needs of the Ukrainian army and in cooperation with the executors of the initiative of the Czech government for the purchase of ammunition. The good news is that as the amount grows, so does our ability to help,” explains Dodo Dobrík from the Czech project Gift for Putin.
The civic collection “Ammunition for Ukraine – If not the government, we send” is supported by many personalities of Slovak public life. She immediately caught the attention of the world media, in addition to the Czech and Ukrainian ones, they also wrote about her in the largest Singaporean newspapers. Czech Defense Minister Jana Černochová thanked the collection on social media and was also mentioned on Wednesday at the press conference after the meeting between Jens Stoltenberg and Petr Fiala. By the morning of April 18, more than 18,000 people had joined it, the average amount of the donation is approximately 70 Euros. The number of donors and the amount collected are still growing.
Citizen initiatives stand behind the collection “Ammunition for Ukraine – If the government doesn’t send it, we send it”. The leader of the project is OZ MIER UKRAINE, which has been helping the defending Ukraine in various ways since the beginning of the total war. The civic collection for ammunition is carried out with a proven partner, the organization DÁREK PRO PUTINA (DPP). Last year, they jointly collected EUR 650,000 for the Slovak deminer Bozena 5. Another partner is the ALL4UKRAINE initiative, thanks to which vehicles for rescuers reached Ukraine for over EUR 1.5 million. Fundraising platform Donio is also a partner, which since the beginning of the conflict has been contributing to help Ukrainians in our country or in their homeland.
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