The initiative, called “A Gift for Putin,” began crowdfunding for the Black Hawk helicopter in November 2023, with more than 20,642 donors contributing to the cause.

According to the initiative’s website, Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) will use the helicopter for evacuating soldiers and conducting special operations.

Kyrylo Budanov, head the military intelligence service of the Ukrainian government, expressed gratitude for Czech support throughout the war with Russia, calling the fundraiser “an unprecedented event.”

The organizers wrote: “We did it! Czechs are sending a Black Hawk helicopter to Ukraine. We managed to get a cheaper and newer machine that Ukraine needs.”

“Let’s finish what we started together and send Čestmír to fight against the dark Empire,” they added, referring to the helicopter’s symbolic name ‘Čestmír,’ which means ‘one who values honor’ in Czech, while likening Vladimir Putin’s regime to a ‘dark empire.’

The statement continued: “Ukraine cannot win the war with drones or ammunition alone. It also needs tanks, aircraft, howitzers—and helicopters for special operations.”

Czechs have now become the first nation to purchase a military helicopter for Ukraine.

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