Fundraising Event for Ukrainian Armed Forces Held in Poltava with the Slogan 'For Putin's Funeral': Photos

"Every hryvnia is a bullet to the occupier, every woven ribbon is a noose around the neck of the Russian dictator Putin" – Under these slogans, a charity event was organized today in the center of Poltava to raise funds for the needs of the soldiers from the Poltava 116th Territorial Defense Battalion.

In fact, the goal of the volunteers is very clear – to purchase a plotter for the military and prepare Easter treats for our soldiers, as organizer of the event and Poltava City Council deputy Oksana Druk explained. "Every year, we participate in the All-Ukrainian action 'Easter Basket' for Easter. Within this action, we collected various goodies for our defenders for the holiday and formed gift sets. This year, we continue this tradition under the name 'MilitaryBOX.' We want to collect and create such small packages for the soldiers, which will include Easter cakes, sweets, energy bars, children's drawings, and crafts."

In total, it is planned to form about 350 gift sets, which will be delivered to the frontline for the soldiers of the 116th Territorial Defense Battalion.

However, Easter treats are not the only focus, and they decided to collect funds to purchase something more substantial for our soldiers. "We help the soldiers of the 116th Territorial Defense Battalion, which is formed in the Poltava region. We talked to the soldiers, asked them what they needed, and what we could buy for them. From the list of needs, we chose a plotter – an industrial printer. It is an essential tool for military personnel to quickly and efficiently print maps of the area. These maps are constantly needed for developing attack plans, setting up positions, or moving units," continued Oksana Druk.

Plotters require expensive refills and consumables, so the planned collection amount is 60,000 hryvnias.

Additionally, during the event, they organized the weaving of camouflage nets for the defenders of the 66th Brigade, which is currently stationed in one of the hottest frontline areas in Bakhmut.

At first, there were not many volunteers, but later more and more people wanted to weave their ribbons into the net, which will protect our soldiers and their equipment on the frontline.

Marina from Poltava is quite skilled in weaving ribbons into the net. She said she does it practically every day. As soon as she has a free minute, she goes to the St. Nicholas Church, where they continuously weave the nets.

"I saw an announcement about today's event on social media and decided to join. Every day, on workdays or weekends, I come there to weave nets for the soldiers. Besides, I make marshmallows for the defenders. For me, what's important is not the gratitude from the soldiers but the feeling that you're doing something for our future victory," said Marina.

Those who had to leave their hometowns due to the war also joined the action. One of them, originally from Kharkiv, has been living in Poltava since August. She says she went to Western Ukraine after the start of the full-scale invasion. She volunteered there and helped make dry rations for the military. She moved to Poltava to be closer to her home.

"I always try to do everything for our victory whenever possible. After February 24, I went back to Kharkiv only once. Our house there is without windows now, as the 'Russian world' came to us. Fortunately, we are all alive and well, and that's already a good thing," she said.

Larisa, another participant in the event, can't hold back tears when talking about her hometown. She has lost her home twice now. She is originally from Krasnodon, a town in Luhansk Oblast that has been under the control of occupiers since 2014. Now she had to go to Poltava due to the "Russian world."

It was especially touching to see the soldiers at the event. Among them was a serviceman named Vasil. He visited the west with his daughter and wife. The family lives in Borodianka, a town in Bucha district of Kyiv Oblast that has endured Russian occupation and atrocities.

Currently, Vasil serves in Poltava, and his daughter and wife came to visit him.

"My family came to visit me here because we haven't seen each other for a long time. I was on the front line from 2014 to 2018 and then again, right from the beginning of the full-scale war. Camouflage nets are very important on the front; they help protect and camouflage equipment and personnel," said Vasil.

Such events will continue in the future. On April 1 and 2, there is another planned weaving of camouflage nets in the sky in the center of Poltava. There are already orders from the soldiers of the 116th Territorial Defense Battalion.

Moreover, according to Oksana Druk, there is a planned city tour of Poltava that will reveal new aspects of the native city to local residents.

You can donate to the cause using the following bank details:

Monobank link: https://send.monobank.ua/jar/7DtwsHHH4N
Bank card number: 5375411204150077