This week marks the six-month mark of Putin’s war in Ukraine. The two sides have been at an impasse for the past months, but Ukraine continues to stand its ground against further Russian gains, with help from its international allies.
But it’s not just other countries giving military and humanitarian aid. The Serhiy Prytula Foundation, a private organisation started by a Ukrainian celebrity, has collected donations from the public to contribute thousands of pieces of equipment to the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF). And last week, Prytula finalised negotiations to give Kyiv access to a high-tech satellite, in order to assist with reconnaissance in the region.
The Serhiy Prytula Foundation was launched at the start of the war by Serhiy Prytula, a Ukrainian TV presenter, actor, author and producer. It raises funds to coordinate volunteer supply centres for the UAF. As of April, the Foundation had raised $5.5 million (USD).
The Foundation lists its fundraising initiatives in categories including ‘communication devices’, ‘drones’, vehicles – which it labels ‘Hell Rides’, ‘optic devices’, and ‘unmanned aerial vehicles’. It also coordinates first aid training courses for soldiers, humanitarian aid, and even portable housing units for displaced civilians.
Its website proclaims it has “strengthened [the] Ukrainian army with 1100+ drones”, funded more than 25 UAVs, and given aid to over 100,000 civilians. Its headquarters are situated in Kyiv, but the Foundation also has ‘logistics points’ on the border with Poland and in Lviv. In short, the Prytula Foundation is a formidable organisation.
ICEYE Satellite and Attack Drones
Its crowning achievement (thus far) came last week, when Prytula himself signed an agreement with ICEYE to give the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence full access to one of its satellites. ICEYE is a Finnish satellite company which produces high-precision Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites.
SAR satellites are special – unlike regular satellites, they can convey high-res images of the Earth’s surface in night-time as well as during the day, and through cloud cover, fog, rain, ash, even objects like camouflage. “ICEYE owns the most developed radar satellite imaging technology in the world as of today,” said Prytula. “This agreement is a significant step in responding to the Government of Ukraine’s urgent request for critical earth observation data and it will greatly benefit our Armed Forces.”
Even more remarkable is the way in which the deal came about. In June, Prytula started a fundraising initiative called the ‘People’s Bayraktar’. He wanted to raise ₴500 million (UAH) to purchase three Bayraktar attack drones for the army, from the Turkish company Baykar.
Within just three days, donations topped ₴600 million (UAH) – approximately $17 million USD. The Baykar company decided to gift the three attack drones to Ukraine for its national day, leaving the Prytula Foundation free to use the funds to purchase ICEYE’s satellite. The Bayraktar drones arrived in Ukraine a few days ago, decorated in traditional Ukrainian ‘embroidery’.
The UAF will also be given access to ICEYE’s entire SAR satellite network – the largest single network in the world, comprising 21 satellites. ICEYE CEO Rafal Modrzewski stated “with this agreement, ICEYE further builds on its efforts to provide objective data and technological support to Ukraine.”
For his part, Prytula was ecstatic, celebrating in a video message, “Ukrainians! We bought a satellite!”
Follow Maddie’s journalism on Twitter.
Sign Up To Our Free Newsletter