Lithuanian scribe who collected €5M via crowdfund, to send 110 combat drones to Ukraine

As the Russian offensive continues to hit the country known for its ravishing architecture- Ukraine, a crowdfunding campaign organised by a Lithuanian journalist, collected more than 5 million euros ($5.4 million) to buy a Bayraktar unmanned aerial combat drone for the Kyiv army. According to journalist Andrius Tapinas, Lithuania will donate at least 110 anti-drone guns to Ukraine in the coming weeks. He took the microblogging site on Monday and informed the 110 powerful Lithuanian-made anti-drone cannons- EDM4S Sky wipers that cost nearly 1,500,000 euros, will be supplied to 35 Ukrainian military units at the earliest.

Notably, the campaign organised by Tapinas went viral in the Baltic nation last month. According to a report by Arabic television news, Al Arabiya, Lithuanians donated more than 5 million euros in less than three days to buy advanced weapons for the war-torn country. "Lithuanians won’t “stand and watch how old Europe is unwilling to help Ukraine obtain weapon supplies," said the journalist. This comes after both the Lithuanian and Turkish defence ministries gave a green signal to the private crowdfunding aimed to raise the amount within three weeks to buy the Turkish-made drone and ammunition. As per the reports, it is expected that the Lithuanian defence ministry officials will head to Turkey to pack the deal.

Ukraine running out of ammunition, says Mykolaiv Governor

Earlier on Sunday, a top Ukrainian official said that the Ukrainian forces are now running out of ammunition. In the Mykolaiv region, its governor, Vitaliy Kim, said that the Ukrainian forces, who have been defending the country against Russians with Soviet-era weapons, are running out of ammunition. He appealed to the Western countries to supply advanced weapons to the war-torn country at the earliest. The governor acknowledged that Russian troops are equipped with the latest and most advanced weapons that have been inundating Ukraine from nearly all sides. The Mykolaiv Governor noted that the Western countries are helping Ukraine with weapons, but they are not arriving "fast enough" or in "sufficient numbers" to deter the Russian aggression.

Ukraine is in contact with several countries for advanced weapons

It is worth noting the ongoing war is close to completing four months. Since the onset of the brutal war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed to the West and Europe to assist Ukraine with more and more weapons. According to Zelenskyy, it is the only way to end the war. Earlier on Saturday, Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said that the officials were in contact with several neighbouring countries for the delivery of more long-range weapons. In a tweet, Kuleba said he had spoken with his Polish counterpart, Zbigniew Rau, to discuss future deliveries of heavy weapons. As of now, US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said that the administration has provided military aid worth $3.9 billion to Ukraine.

Image: @Lithuanian_MoD/Twitter