Lithuanians raised more than $5 million during a public collection to purchase a military drone and deliver it to Ukraine, thereby supporting its defense against Russian invasion.
The money needed to buy the Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drone was collected in three and a half days, with the collection ending on Saturday. Lithuania has a population of 2.8 million.
“It’s probably the first time in history that citizens of one state have been able to take such heavy weapons and deliver them to another state,” said Andrius Tapinas, founder of the local online television channel Laisves TV, which launched the initiative.
Laisves TV stated that it will transfer the money collected to the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense, which will be responsible for purchasing the drone and the necessary ammunition.
Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas said on Sunday that his aide will travel to Turkey early next week to sign a letter of intent on the purchase.
“There will be a lot of paperwork,” the minister warned reporters. But “we expect a good welcome from everyone,” he added.
Ukrainian-acquired Turkish warplanes have been in use since the early hours of the Russian invasion and have proven to be a particularly useful weapon in the fight against Russian forces, according to Kiev.
source: Noticias
