Non-Lethal Optical Sets for Ukrainian Units

Dear Friends of Ukraine, 

We have been helping our homeland since the start of the Russian war against Ukraine. Together with my colleagues and other like-minded Ukrainians, we established the Children of Heroes Foundation, which provides long-term support to kids who lost parents due to the war. With my colleagues from the investment industry, we launched the #TheResponsibleFifty project aimed at analyzing what side of “responsibility” the top-50 multinationals chose concerning their businesses in Russia. 

You probably know how brave Ukrainian freedom fighters are. Some perhaps heard that our President Zelenskyy continues to urge the world’s leaders to actively supply Ukraine with weapons. However, as our country wasn't fully prepared for the attack, there are units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces who are still underequipped. Can you imagine a defender without a basic set comprising a helmet and protective gear? We can't. That is why, together with my wife Alina, we decided to launch DEFENDFREEDOMUA, a project aimed at helping Ukraine to defend not only its own but also Europe’s future and freedom by supplying fully-fledged sets of non-lethal critical equipment and ammunition such as thermal imaging devices, drones, protective gear, medical kits, etc. A network of our partners, close friends, and even relatives currently serving in the army allows us to fulfill actual needs and deliver sets directly to the frontlines.
   
We partnered with the Open Collective platform that kindly waived its processing fees and will serve as our fiscal host in Europe, offering a transparent budget (everyone can see donations and official invoice-based purchases). By purchasing in sets, we are able to obtain meaningful discounts from vendors across the EU and Ukraine. We invite you to join us and contribute to the fundraisers for each set so that the freedom of Ukraine will be a bit closer. 
 

We started with optical sets comprising thermal imaging riflescopes, drones, and thermal imaging spotters. The sets, each cost around EUR 5,000, would be enough for one unit and will help it be eagle-eyed while defending Ukrainian soil at frontlines and prevent further attacks during the day and at night. 

 

Sincerely, 

Andrew and the DEFENDFREEDOMUA Team 

 

FAQ
 

1. What is going to be purchased? 

- Pulsar Thermion 2 XQ38: a premium thermal imaging riflescope that ensures a detection range of up to 1500 meters both at night and during the day 
- Autel EVO Lite+: powerful and portable drone with a flight distance of up to 24km; although being of the same characteristics as DJI, this drone is significantly different from its counterpart in that the aggressors can't discover both its current location and point of launch 
- HikMicro Lynx Pro LE10: manual thermal imaging spotter that can discover objects in a range of up to 500 meters at night

We reserve a right to substitute some of the above equipment if it becomes out of stock but guarantee identical characteristics. 

Yes. Pulsar is the world's leading producer in the hunting industry. Autel is a drone production company aimed to provide much innovative solutions and compete against the market leader DJI. HIKMICRO is a leading provider of thermal imaging equipment and solutions. 

 We plan to send the optical sets to 10 units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. As we already volunteered and directly supported our friends and relatives who are at the frontlines, it allows us to understand actual needs and deliver directly to those awaiting our help, mitigating the risks of this equipment being misused.  

Optical equipment is expensive, and that's why put extra attention to logistics, being personally responsible for this and controlling every delivery stage. The purchase itself is expected to be in the EU, including through our network in Lithuania (homeland of Pulsar producer) and Finland. Our vendors will provide delivery service to one of the bordering countries with Ukraine (e.g., Poland, Romania), and then a close network of volunteers passes the delivery across the border, where our team picks it up and directly manages the process further. 

As per our mission and as mentioned in the fundraiser's name, this is just equipment that is not dangerous and alone has no lethal effect. 

With the transparency principle in mind, we will publish purchase statistics on this page. Additionally, we will do our best to provide photos proving the delivery to the target beneficiaries. 

7. How corporate donors can contribute?

Our partner platform Open Collective is entirely suitable for contributors from the corporate world. These contributors can donate directly on this page, and they will automatically receive a receipt for their donation. The fiscal host's legal entity is based in Brussels. Should you have any specific requests, please reach out to [email protected].

Although we are long-term oriented and deliver set by set, our first ambition is to raise EUR 50,000, which would be enough to equip 10 units with 10 optical sets.