United24 is a fundraiser underway right now that is led by Professor Timothy Snyder.
It has a goal of raising at least $1.25 million. This happens to be the cost of acquiring for Ukraine one drone hunter-killer system. Specifically, the Iranian Shahed drones now wreaking such havoc on Ukraine’s infrastructure — leaving Ukrainians at risk of trying to survive through the bitter cold of winter with sporadic and unreliable power, leaving them at risk of dying from hypothermia.
Professor Snyder has a brief introductory post on his substack. The title to which succinctly summarizes the aim — Help Stop a Genocide.
It is Russian policy to deprive Ukrainians of light, heat, and water during the winter by destroying civilian infrastructure. Just yesterday Russia fired dozens more missiles at civilian targets, leaving about ten million peoplewithout electricity during very cold nights and days. As I write, people I care about are in bomb shelters, listening to explosions.
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Yesterday’s attack was the largest on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure since the war began. Russia launched 95 missiles and drones. To stop the missiles, Ukraine needs Western government help with air defense and aircraft. The Shahed drones, from Iran, are what is known as loitering munitions. For weeks they have been used to destroy the Ukrainian power grid as well as other civilian targets. They are a terror weapon put to a criminal purpose.
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We can help stop the drones. President Zelens'kyi’s United24 Foundation asked me to raise money for a cause of my choice. As a historian, I could have chosen a destroyed library (which I visited in Chernihiv a few weeks ago), and in the future I will do just that. But right now Ukrainians need to get through this winter and win this war.
So rather than indulge my own preferences, I asked where I could be most immediately helpful. The answer from the Ukrainians I asked was a system to defend against the Iranian drones. And so that is what, as an ambassador of the president’s United24 platform, I have pledged to do: to raise $1.25 million for such a system, a Shahed Hunter.
I know we have a lot of asks that are active right now, ranging from the political (most urgently Senator Warnock’s run-off campaign) to any of the disaster relief funds current (Puerto Rico most notably, Indonesia will also doubtless need a great deal of assistance).
Consider this just such an appeal, one in which crowd-funding can make a real impact — helping preserve European democracy.
So, what say you Kossacks? Can we help the good Professor make it to one, two or more Shahed Hunters, keep Ukrainians safe from death or suffering, in the cold, from above?