April 2025 Update - New UAO High-Tech Ground Drones, Vehicle Deliveries & Transparency Report

Dear Supporters of Ukraine,

Happy Easter from the UAO Team! Normally, we would kick the UAO newsletter off with a sweeping take on the international political circus. But let’s be honest - what’s the point? The lines are drawn. The noise from the White House - both deafening and eerily silent - only reinforces what we already know: the world is sliding, and it’s the brave, the willing, and the clear-eyed who must lock arms now more than ever.

Donate here: https://donorbox.org/doubledown

Ukraine remains on the frontline of that resistance - not just of territory, but of truth, of courage, of clarity. And so do you - the supporters of Ukraine. When we launched our “Double Down” campaign, it was ambitious, and it was built on one thing: trust in this community. You delivered. Big. Combined with a powerhouse matching donor who doubled every donation in March and April (up to €250,000), we raised nearly half a million dollars in just over a month. That’s a serious amount for serious stuff. The 100% matching is still active via the fundraising link above.

And we’re putting it to work. Procurement and deliveries are underway - and we’re proud to confirm the purchase of 10 new high-end ground drones. Real tools which will have real impact - as you can read below. This UAO April newsletter brings you:

• Information about our new high-tech “TarGun” ground drones
• Delivery report from our last vehicle fundraiser
• Our latest UAO Transparency Report

More to come. Let’s stick together.

Your UAO Volunteer Team

Meet our new “TarGun” ground drones - 10 already delivered to the frontlines

Thanks to your generous donations to our most recent “UAO Doubles Down” fundraising campaign (100% of all donations are matched till the target is reached, see link below), we purchased - among others - 10 TarGun ground drones. Two of these high-end ground drones already went to a battalion defending Ukraine in the North, under constant attack from Russian fibre-optic drones and rocket artillery, one to the 3rd Assault Brigade, one to the 25th Airborne Brigade. We directly contribute to the soldier’s safety and help them to enhance their operational capabilities. This is why we aim to supply many more in the future, to be delivered to units fighting in the Kharkiv and Donetsk areas, for example.

When our ground volunteer Yuri picked up the TarGuns, one of our befriended defenders tested it as “blind passenger”, while it was maneuvered by the drone pilot - resulting in a hilarious video.

Ground drone testing is fun! See the full video to get an impression of how these drones work

Some technical and operational details: With surveillance drones having made the battlefield in Ukraine lethally transparent for a long time, zero-line logistics became incredibly dangerous! Ground drones, highly versatile battery-powered guided carrier vehicles that come in various sizes, allow safer transportation of all kinds of supplies to and from the trenches across challenging terrain, deploying mines, and larger models even allowing for the evacuation of wounded and fallen soldiers. In a nutshell, ground drones have matured considerably, and can now support a large variety of battlefield operations - so we are happy that we were able to obtain the drones from the leading ground drone builder in Ukraine.

UAO decided to supply TarGun ground drones, nicknamed “Cockroaches” for their noteworthy resilience and endurance, able to withstand considerable impacts from enemy drone attacks, shrapnel or gun fire. They are fully engineered and made in Ukraine and were approved for military use in October 2024. Compact enough to fit into vans, on pick-up truck beds or standard car trailers, TarGuns carry - depending on the model - up to 340 kg of cargo, whether ammunition, equipment, food, and even evacuees. Their silent electric motors, good battery capacity, and high-traction wheels allow for stealthy operations over long distances. TarGuns are also procured by the military - and now also by us, to be provided to the brave defenders of Ukraine.

Several brigades have already used TarGuns successfully, recovering damaged equipment, for example EW-disabled FPV and bomber drones, for salvage and repair. UAO purchased two TarGun models so far, the TarGun medium model with a payload of up to 150 kg, and the bigger model with up to 340 kg load capacity. Currently, TarGuns are undergoing further modifications for FPV drone delivery to launch positions, for demining operations, and even as a remote-controlled weapons-carrier platform.

This latest UAO initiative is part of our ongoing commitment to support Ukraine's defence with innovative and effective multi-role equipment.

One of the brigades we supported with TarGun ground drones was the 25th Airborne Brigade

Delivery report - six vehicles delivered to Ukraine’s front lines

When we launched our fundraising campaign to deliver three 4x4 pickup trucks to Ukrainian frontline units, we hoped for strong support, and you delivered far beyond expectations. Together with our trusted partners at Car4Ukraine (Car4UA), and thanks to your incredible generosity, we not only met our goal to raise $32,000, we surpassed it, raising over $43,000 in total. This meant a game-changing upgrade to our mission: instead of supplying three vehicles, we were able to provide six (!) - solid pickup trucks and two rugged Subaru Foresters, all prepared to serve the defenders of Ukraine on the frontlines. Have a look on the video summary to see the vehicles and the impact they have for our units.

With extensive experience in supplying cars for Ukraine’s military, Car4UA took care of sourcing, transporting, repairing, and preparing each vehicle for frontline duty. Their team has already delivered more than 500 vehicles since 2022, and knows what it takes to make them last under the harshest conditions, from reinforcing the chassis to adding armour. All vehicles were distributed to active units across Ukraine. Here is where your donations made an immediate impact:

🚙 80th Separate Assault Brigade, 2nd Assault Battalion

This elite airborne unit from the Galicia region, including Lviv, is part of Ukraine’s Air Assault Forces. Known for their rapid-response tactics using both ground forces and drones, the 80th Brigade needed pickup trucks to support evacuation, logistics, and personnel movement near the frontlines. Thanks to you, they received a Mitsubishi L200.

🚙 42nd Brigade, 422nd Separate Rifle Battalion

Since May 2024, this unit has been defending the Kharkiv region, as well as against attacks from directions of the Belgorod region. Including its snipers and international fighters, the 42nd needed an armoured pickup truck for special operations, rapid deployment, and medical evacuations in difficult terrain. Your donation gave them the wheels they needed, a Mitsubishi L200.

🚙 24th Separate Mechanised Brigade “King Daniel of Galicia”

With a long and distinguished history in Ukraine’s defense, from the Donbas war to the battles against the Wagner Group and Russian forces, this brigade’s mortar battery required a pickup for transporting equipment and personnel in and out of active combat zones. Your support provided just that: a robust Toyota Hilux.

🚨 129th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade – emergency response

A story of perfect timing: We received an urgent request from the 129th. It was in immediate need of a pickup truck for its mortar unit. As your donations exceeded the target, and luckily there was an unassigned Toyota Hilux en route to Ukraine, we were able to respond almost instantly. This pick-up was quickly prepared, and delivered within days.

🚙 93rd Mechanised Brigade “Kholodnyi Yar”

One of the Subaru Foresters went to this legendary brigade, the defenders of Bakhmut and now Pokrovsk, to move personnel and equipment in rear areas and near the front. Quick, reliable, and maneuverable, it’s perfectly suited for their logistics.

🚙 Vehicle 6 coming soon...

Currently undergoing repairs, this 4x4 truck will soon be deployed to a unit where it is needed most. Fun fact: Sytske drove it over from The Netherlands. She thinks it is a decent vehicle with a powerful turbocharged engine. As this one, unlike the others, has a petrol engine, it is more suitable for logistical tasks behind the frontlines.

The road ahead

The demand for vehicles never ends. So we’re not stopping here. This new campaign aims to fund five more pickup trucks, including a second vehicle for 24th Brigade (1st mechanized batallion), and another one that will be reconfigured for a highly specialised unit operating in secrecy. Every vehicle we deliver saves lives, transporting injured soldiers to safety and bringing food, equipment and reinforcements to positions.

Donate here: https://donorbox.org/trucks-for-ua-2-0

With your continued support, we can keep Ukraine’s defenders moving forward.

The 80th Brigade with their vehicle. It will help them with evacuation and logistics missions.

Latest UAO financial transparency report - see how your donations are used

Since April 2022, Ukraine Aid Operations supports the Armed Forces of Ukraine with essential equipment, purchased with donations from all over the world. Because our relationship with you, our donors, is built on trust, we provide you with our UAO transparency report (Q1 2025), showing how we use your donations. The highlights:

• Overall, UAO has raised over $8.8 million since 2022 (excluding Amazon wishlist purchases).
• On average, 89% of your donations went to buying equipment such as medical items, generators, power stations, drones, boats or ambulances.
• Just over 8% of your donations were used to cover operational costs such as warehousing and shipments to Ukraine. During the previous months, we were able to reduce our operational costs by 1% by making our logistics processes more efficient.
• Just under 3% of your donations were used to maintain our popular Victory Gallery, which is an important pillar of our fundraising. VG expenses include compensations for the artists as well as material costs and shipment.
• As a registered charity, our financial statements are audited by the responsible authorities, providing you with trustworthy monitoring. The recent tax-filing for our U.S. foundation was done in March 2025.

In the spreadsheet below, you will see a summary of how we used your donations. If you have further questions, do not hesitate to contact us.

The financial transparency report provides you details about how we use your donations (zoom in). Especially compared to other charities, we spend an overwhelming amount of the donations for unit equipment - while keeping the necessary logistics efficient.

Also, we share all our deliveries to Ukrainian units on our social media channels, such as Twitter, Bluesky or Instagram. It is very important to us that you see that your donations arrive at the frontlines, so our delivery photos and videos are an essential part of our transparency. As a registered charity, each of our deliveries to the defenders of Ukraine is documented with so-called send/receive letters, which must be signed by the units, providing a paper-trail for it all.

Delivery transparency is important for us, so that the donors see that our support arrives at the frontlines. We always share our deliveries on our social media channels - like this major delivery of equipment - generators and drones for the 82nd Air Assault Brigade in early April

Please take note: Our UAO Shop and Victory Gallery feature many new items, such as signed flags, patches and new artworks. Backed by sales from the UAO Shop and the Victory Gallery, we are able to purchase and deliver equipment to the defenders of Ukraine. 

One of the signed flags provided by the 5th Assault Brigade - now available in the UAO shop

Thank you for standing strong with Ukraine. Together we will win this war!

Sincerely, the UAO volunteer team. 

Heroyam Slava!