She was filled with dread but knew she needed to act.
“Hello, this is the most important tweet I have ever written,” she began.
“I’m Diana Kulyk, daughter of Ruslan Kulyk.
The person who took care of me since I came into this world.
He needs help.”
The donors came from all over: Ukraine, the United States, Germany, England.
Watching the donations flood in, Diana was overwhelmed.
“It was a really weird moment,” she says.
“You are so scared, but also you see everyone coming together to help you.
It gives you hope.”
Individual military units are using social media to campaign for the specific gear they need on the front lines.
People have crowdfunded wars throughout history.
“That’s a big advantage,” he says.
Crowdfunding is also increasingly critical.
The Ukrainian government said last year that crowdfunding accounted for 3% of the country’s total military spending.
To win the war, that number may need to climb.
But fundraisers are struggling with fatigue among citizen donors and are getting creative to keep up funds and morale.
When the wedding industry slowed in the winter, he visited family in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region.
Landlocked and infuriated, he joined his nephew at the military registration office.
Recruiters enlisted his nephew but turned Ruslan away.
“I wasn’t prepared and was 50 years old,” he says.
He got a job at a local bakery.
He trained hard, dropping more than 50 pounds in 14 months.
Diana and Ruslan talked frequently, but his work often required him to go dark for days on end.
For Diana, the wait was terrifying.
“You wake up every day thinking I’m going to have bad news today,” she says.
It has also helped save lives.
Four days later, he called from the hospital.
One was so severely injured that he had to be wrapped in a tourniquet that Diana had fundraised for.
(The soldier’s leg was amputated, and he’s now with his family.)
Diana spent a week with her father as he recovered in the hospital.
When he returned to active duty, Ruslan became a drone operator.
Though he was farther from the front lines, he was arguably in even more danger.
Ruslan calls drone operators Russia’s “target No.
Some crowdfunders encourage donations by sharing stories about themselves or their friends.
Some host livestreams or ask followers to celebrate their birthday by donating to a soldier’s unit.
But he knew his tech skills could allow him to help Ukraine in another way.
“Many people started asking, ‘How can I send you money?'”
He called it Dzyga’s Paw, named after his dog.
Donors can get merch like stickers, tote bags, and patches based on how much they donate.
He’s raised more than $2.9 million from more than 28,000 individual donations.
To counter that, Zhluktenko has made his organization radically transparent.
Zhluktenko is also transparent about who exactly is receiving which equipment and what they’re using it for.
“There are people who have donated for 50-something weeks straight.”
Receiving donations for equipment is one thing.
Getting the equipment to the front lines is another.
Zhluktenko’s team goes on a frontline expedition about once a month.
Their motto is “Just don’t be stupid.”
Experts say the crowdfunding of Ukraine’s fight could offer a glimpse into the future of warfare.
But it’s also dragged on long enough for some support to wane.
The advisor also said he feared that Donald Trump’s return to the presidency would further hinder donations.
One thousand and sixteen days into the war, fighting rages throughout Ukraine’s east.
Russia controls nearly 20% of the country.
When we got invaded by r*ssia, I realized how fragile and precious Freedom is.
I want to preserve it.
“Ukraine needs people fighting,” he says.
“It’s impossible to win a war for your freedom without fighting for your freedom.”
While he’s on duty, his wife has taken overDzyga’s Paw.
She’s lost friends in the war.
She lost her cousin Ruslan’s nephew, who went to the registration office with him.
And she’s watched her father lose comrades.
