It's hard to keep track of all of Russia's crimes in this war -- though good people are trying. The only way to stop all of them is to help Ukraine win the war.
But there's one war crime that you personally can actually help to stop. Right now.
This winter, like last winter, Russia is trying to destroy Ukrainian critical infrastructure so that Ukrainian civilians will lack electricity and water. Russia launches cruise missiles and Iranian-made (or Iranian-style) Shahed drones at these civilian targets day after day. Russia also uses drones and cruise missiles to target Ukrainian grain meant for export to Africa and the Middle East.
Snyder is asking for help expanding the Safe Skies systems to cover more Ukrainian cities. (There’s additional info and commentary at the link above.)
Our response this fall was Safe Skies: a fundraiser to expand the drone detection system to four entire Ukrainian regions. I can announce that we reached the goal of $950,000, and that the drone detection system is being extended now to Sumy, Odesa, Mikolaïv, and Kherson regions. This happened fast -- in six weeks. Thank you!
I think we can do this again. I think we should do this again. Another $950,000 would mean protecting four more regions -- Kharkiv, Kirovohrad, Poltava, and Cherkasy -- from drones and cruise missiles. These are places where I have been, where I have colleagues and friends.
About six million people live in these four regions. We can help keep them safe. (This visual shows the regions now protected, in green, and the regions to be protected in this next stage of our campaign, in white.)
So please join me to extend Safe Skies.
Let's double down on sheltering people from terror.
I can’t tell you the details of how the system works, but here’s what the Safe Skies website claims:
WHAT IS
SAFE SKIES?
Safe Skies is an innovative sensor system for detecting air targets. Of Ukrainian design, it can even detect targets at very low altitudes, and predict their course for further neutralization. AI technology allows the system to anticipate where the next threats may come from.
Safe Skies proved its effectiveness during tests against both cruise missiles and enemy Shahed 136 UAVs.
DURING TESTS IN 11 REGIONS OF UKRAINE, IT DETECTED 100% OF AIR THREATS WITHOUT A SINGLE ERROR.
Here’s the donation information from Snyder:
We can be part of a civil society that supports ingenuity in the service of humanity.
And is a season for generosity. It feels good to do good.
So please help me to bring Safe Skies to four more regions of Ukraine. The donation link is here. Please share this post with others who might want to help.
PS If your first credit card doesn't work, please try another! Banks can have various policies. Your donations do go through and they do make a difference!
DISCLAIMER: There are a lot of scams out there, but given Snyder’s history, I am willing to pass this on to spread the word. If the system is as effective as claimed, it’s a wonder that some government has not decided to fund it. It also could have applications elsewhere, now that the world is seeing how devastating drone attacks can be. Others may need this sooner or later.
If anyone has more information about how the Safe Skies system works, it would be helpful. If anyone has experience donating to this cause, please share that as well. Given the blatant obstruction by Republicans who are blocking aid to Ukraine, this looks like one way to make a difference.