Ukraine has received artillery ammunition worth €4 million, funded by donations from Slovak citizens eager to contribute to a Czech-led initiative aimed at purchasing military supplies after the Slovak government opted not to participate.
This news was reported by the Slovak outlet Noviny on October 7.
The ammunition was delivered to Ukraine in six trucks.
It was purchased through a crowdfunding campaign that raised €4 million from 70,000 Slovaks in just three weeks. The funds were used to procure 2,692 artillery shells.
"Per capita, we have donated more than countries like Canada, Iceland, or Slovenia. Our crowdfunding efforts quickly caught the attention of international media. After announcing that we had raised €4 million in three weeks, Ukrainian defenders expressed their gratitude to the Slovak people," said Fedor Blaščák, one of the campaign organizers.
Blaščák added that, of the €4.5 million collected in total, €4 million has already been used, while the remaining €500,000 will be allocated to purchase grenades for launchers by the year's end.
The initiative, which began in May, was led by Slovak civil organizations Mier Ukrajine, Darček pre Putina, Donio, and All4Ukraine.
Former Slovak Foreign Minister Ivan Korčok, who recently lost the presidential election to pro-Russian politician Peter Pellegrini, also supported the effort.
Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico, however, downplayed the significance of the €4 million raised for Ukraine, claiming it "would not change the situation."
Despite Fico’s comments, activists maintain that the primary goal was to symbolically align Slovakia with the "Czech initiative," a goal they successfully accomplished.
