A Ukrainian non-profit group that provides drones and other materiel to Kyiv’s military is showing gratitude to its donors by gifting them with key chains made from the wreckage of Russian plane and helicopter parts that were shot down in Ukraine.
The Drones for Ukraine Fund, composed of some 30 members in-country and abroad, is distributing a limited edition of key chains to every benefactor who donated $1,000 or more to the group.
They are made from the “skin” of fallen Russian aircraft in Ukraine and the packaging demarks the model of and when the plane or helicopter was shot down on the packaging.
The accessories are made from parts of a shot down Su-34 Fullback front-line bomber jet and a Ka-52 Alligator helicopter. The organization’s website says the helicopter key chains “are coming soon,” but the plane key chains are already being distributed.
“Many of my friends told me that ‘$1,000 – nobody will give you this for this piece of metal, it’s crazy,’” said entrepreneur Yuriy Vysoven who joined the group in 2022. “In the morning, I woke up and understood that on my phone there is already $20,000-30,000 collected, and we see this constant flow of messages from people asking questions and telling that they want to donate more, [and] they tell us it is an incredible idea.”
The non-profit spends donated money to purchase DJI Mavic 3 and Autel Evo 2 drones for Ukraine’s military, according to its website.
“In addition to drones, we buy sights, night vision instruments and a lot of other important stuff,” the NGO says.
Ukraine’s military says that Russia has lost 201 planes and 167 helicopters since Feb. 24 when Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin ordered a renewed invasion of the neighboring country.
