The funds collected in Latvia for the purchase of the Bayraktar drone for the Ukrainian military will be used to purchase Latvian-made tactical drones and off-road vehicles.
This was reported by the Embassy of Ukraine in Latvia.
"To date, more than €900 000 have been collected. In view of the current military situation, as well as the duration of fundraising within the framework of this project, its organizers and participants proposed to use the collected donations for the purchase of 45 Latvian-made tactical drones and 15 SUVs for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which may be ready for shipment in the near future,” says the message.
The participants of the press conference held at the embassy on Wednesday with the participation of the Ambassador of Ukraine Oleksandr Mishchenko and the Minister of Defense of Latvia Artis Pabriks appealed to everyone who made a donation as part of the Bayraktar fund-raising project to allow the change of the projectʼs goal and to purchase the said tactical drones and SUVs for the Ukrainian army.
The publication “Delfi” explains that about €5 million is needed for the purchase of Bayraktar. But due to the situation in which the Latvian donors are on the eve of winter, and the change in the situation at the front, the funds will be spent on the purchase of drones of the Latvian company Atlas Aerospace.
According to Pabriks, collecting the required amount will take a long time, and the needs of the Ukrainian army are urgent. Therefore, Atlas Aerospace drones have already been prepared for departure.
- Lithuania will hand over the Warmate kamikaze drones to the Ukrainian military, purchased with funds raised within the Legion of Boom company, in October-November.