According to a report by AFP, several Slovak NGOs have launched the crowdfunding campaign “Ammunition for Ukraine” to raise 1 million euros ($1,06 million) for purchasing munitions to support Ukraine’s war effort, directly challenging their government’s refusal to provide military aid to Kyiv.
In the third year of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine suffers from a critical artillery ammunition shortage due to 6+ month delays in US aid and unfulfilled EU pledges of a million shells. This deficit has led to the loss of Avdiivka City and affects operations along the 1,000-kilometer front line.
In February, Czech President Petr Pavel stated that Prague could potentially source and send 500,000 155 mm and 300,000 122 mm shells to Ukraine from outside Europe, provided they secure the necessary funding. Subsequently, many EU countries pledged financial support for the initiative.
The Slovak government, led by Prime Minister Robert Fico, has taken a Russia-friendly stance on the war in Ukraine. Since taking office last year, Fico has halted military aid to Ukraine, advocated for “peace talks” with Russia, and, respectively, did not support the Czech shell initiative. However, the Slovak crowdfunding campaign organizers say they want to show that the government’s position does not reflect the views of all Slovaks.
Thousands of Slovakians came out against government’s pro-Russian policies
The Slovak “Peace for Ukraine” group, which organized the “Ammunition for Ukraine” initiative, has already received almost 700,000 euros in donations since the campaign began on 15 April. The group says they hope to raise the full 1 million euros, matching the amount donated last month by the government of another Slavic country, Slovenia.
“The Slovak Government and Prime Minister Fico have refused to join the initiative. It would be a shame if this remained the case. We refuse to put up with the denial of aid to a war-torn neighbor. Let us show that they are not the only ones deciding this. We are convinced that the government’s attitude does not represent the majority of citizens,” the organizers of the initiative wrote on the fundraiser page.
Zuzana Izsakova, a representative of the “Peace for Ukraine” initiative, told AFP:
“We, the residents of Slovakia, want to and can help. We want to show that it is not only the government and Robert Fico who decide on this matter.”
The funds raised by the Slovak campaign will be channeled to an international initiative led by the Czech Republic to procure hundreds of thousands of artillery shells for Ukraine. The Slovak government has not joined this international effort to provide military assistance to Ukraine. On April 16, the Czech Prime Minister stated that 20 countries had committed to funding the purchase of 500,000 artillery shells for Ukraine from suppliers outside Europe.
According to AFP, one notable supporter of the Slovak crowdfunding campaign is 99-year-old Holocaust survivor Otto Simko, a participant in the 1942 Slovak National Uprising, who said it was impossible to negotiate with Nazi Germany during the occupation of Czechoslovakia, “they had to be defeated.”
“If I can only give 20 euros to buy one single bullet, I will know that this bullet is in the right hands,” Simko said in a campaign video.
As of the moment of the publication of this article, the campaign raised more than €693,000 in two days.
Update:
Read the follow-up article:
Slovaks raise over $ 3 mn for a Czech initiative to supply Ukraine with ammunition
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- Germany to fund buying 180,000 rounds for Ukrainian via Czech artillery ammo initiative
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- Greece to send thousands of ammo rounds to Ukraine through Czechia’s initiative
