The Foundation has allocated $1.8 million raised by Poles at Bayraktar to help the Ukrainian military

The Come Back Alive Foundation has allocated a portion of the funds raised last year by Poles to purchase a Bayraktar TB2 strike drone for the Ukrainian Armed Forces to help the Ukrainian Defense Forces. The organizer of the collection, journalist Sławomir Sierakowski, handed over PLN 5.13 million and $600,000 to the Foundation.

With these funds, Come Back Alive purchased two specialized repair stations ($600,000) for the army, which are necessary to maintain and repair American HMMWVs and other Western vehicles.

Another PLN 5.13 million, or about $1.2 million, was spent on a mobile modular camp for the Training Center of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine: 31 residential and training tents, lighting and power systems, heaters and furniture, camouflage coverings; a laundry and medical tent; a 75 kW silent generator; air conditioning; and weapon racks.

On the initiative of Sławomir Sierakowski, in July last year, more than PLN 22.5 million was raised in Poland for the Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicle for the Ukrainian military. The fundraising was made on a crowdfunding platform. More than 200 thousand people joined the cause. The Turkish company Baykar then decided to donate the drone to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The company asked to send the funds raised to charitable organizations that help Ukrainian citizens and the army.

“Baykar and I decided that Come Back Alive is a reliable organization,” says Sławomir Sierakowski.

Baykar offered Polish donors to transfer part of the funds to the Foundation due to their previous effective cooperation.

Last year, Come Back Alive became the first charitable organization in Ukraine to receive permission to purchase dual-use and military goods abroad, including lethal weapons, and purchased Bayraktar TB2. In August, the Foundation and Baykar signed a memorandum of further partnership.

“Baykar offered Polish donors to transfer part of the Foundation’s funds due to previous effective cooperation,” says Ruslana Velychko, lawyer, Come Back Alive volunteer, and First Deputy Executive Director of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation. The agreement was preceded by months of negotiating details. But the result is worth it.”