October 2024 Update - Holding the line in the East & UAO Updates

Dear supporters of Ukraine,

From Kupyansk in the north-east to Robotyne in the south-west, the Russian aggressor continues making incremental gains. As far as the battlefield conditions are concerned, the approaching mud season, “Бездорі́жжя” or “rasputiza”, will hopefully slow down mechanised Russian assaults, offering some much welcomed relief to our outmanned and outgunned defenders, until the ground solidifies again in winter.

Donate here for the 25th and Chervona Kalyna Brigade: https://donorbox.org/holdingtheline

With the Ramstein meeting postponed, and possible further military aid packages left in limbo pending the U.S. presidential election, Ukrainian president Zelenskyi met with several western leaders to convince them to abandon their incrementalism, and to strengthen military and financial support through 2025. Like you and others from around the world who continue supporting Ukraine and want to see it prevail, we dearly hope for these, and in the meantime are relentless in our work, no matter what the defeatists insinuate. Our support together is more important now than ever!

This October newsletter updates you with

• A new fundraiser for the fighters of the 25th brigade, the Chervona Kalyna brigade, and other units
• Our successful drone-jammer fundraiser, supported by two rock bands
• Recent equipment deliveries supported by volunteers Torhalla
• The latest UAO financial transparency report

Your UAO Volunteer Team

Holding the line in the East - while the mud season looms large

Since the fall of Vuhledar, the pressure on the front lines in the South and East increased further. The region is not only of tactical, but rather of strategic importance, because its capture would endanger supply of the entire Kramatorsk/Slovyansk region, and open up axes of attack towards Pavlohrad. It is of utmost importance to support and strengthen Ukrainian forces before the mud season sets in - offering some much welcomed relief to the outmanned and outgunned Ukrainian defenders, until the ground solidifies again in winter.

While our most recent fundraiser allowed us to procure and deliver drone-jammers, the demand for all kinds of equipment - by units tasked with holding the line along the Eastern front - is rising. As in previous months, the Pokrovsk theatre remains the most gruesomely embattled, with Putin remaining fixated with the eventual capture of all of “Novorossiya” as a first step to usurping all of Ukraine. Therefore, we initiated a fundraiser dedicated particularly to the defenders of that region, soldiers under unfathomable pressure, who, despite fatigue and lack of rotation, hold the line to the best of their abilities. Among them are the UAV units of the 25th Airborne Brigade and the 14th Brigade “Chervona Kalyna” of the Ukrainian National Guard.

This new fundraiser shall supply our friends on the front lines with

• Drones (Mavic, Autel, FPV drones)
• Drone-jammers
• Range extenders
• Power stations 
• And more

As always, we offer special giveaways to our donors, like the unique looking patches of the 25th brigade "Rubpak" (drone unit) or the Chervona Kalyna brigade below.

Donate here for the 25th and Chervona Kalyna Brigade: https://donorbox.org/holdingtheline

Drone-jammers funded with the support of two rock bands

In recent weeks, we focused on fundraising, procuring and delivering as many drone-jammers as possible. The latest model we sourced covers seven frequency bands and has proven itself on the battlefield in use with many units. We joined forces with the Finnish NGO “Zero Line Finland” and Ukrainian rock band “BLIND8”, which is currently on tour with Dutch symphonic metal band “Within Temptation”. Two band members are fighting as members of Ukraine’s National Guard, seeing just how vital drone-jammers are, and convinced the band to support our fundraiser. “Within Temptation” already supported UAO’s efforts for quite some time, but this time decided to match each incoming donation - a selfless effort that generated over $40,000 for drone-jammers. UAO volunteer Bastian met up with the band before their most recent concert in Cologne, and handed over two gifts - a flag signed by the defenders of Ukraine and a unique painted 155 mm shell container.

UAO volunteer Bastian meeting up with Within Temptation in Cologne

The band members were happy to sign a "Ukrainian Sun" flag, which was also signed by various Ukrainian units. You can buy this flag in our UAO shop. The proceeds will go towards buying life-saving drone-jammers.

Recent UAO deliveries supported by volunteer Torhalla

Thanks to your generous and sustained support, the UAO ground team continued its deliveries to the defenders of Ukraine through September, this time helped by our friend, volunteer Torhalla, who visited several units along the front lines to supply much needed equipment. Torhalla supports the Armed Forces of Ukraine ever since the Russian full-scale invasion began in 2022. She assists us with logistics issues, for example getting unit patches and flags out of Ukraine, or making deliveries to units UAO supports.

Torhalla delivered an advanced Matrice 30T thermal vision drone to the 105th Territorial Defense Brigade

You may remember our fundraiser for the defenders of Pokrovsk, the 79th brigade - on her recent journey to this most embattled and precarious fighting zone, Torhalla delivered an Ecoflow power station and, more importantly, two high-end drone-jammers, allowing our valiant friends to operate under better protection, thanks to your generous donations. Please remember - we are currently dispatching hundreds of unit patches and flags to donors of prior fundraisers, so if you expect yours to arrive, please be patient and check your mailbox.

Donate here for the 25th and Chervona Kalyna Brigade: https://donorbox.org/holdingtheline

Torhalla and soldiers from the 79th brigade, defenders of Pokrovsk

UAO volunteer Rima made many deliveries last month; here, she delivered 20 8-inch FPV drones and an Ecoflow power station to the 56th brigade

 

UAO financial transparency - how we put your donations to use

Since April 2022, for well over two years now, Ukraine Aid Operations supports the Armed Forces of Ukraine, procuring and supplying essential equipment to where it is needed most. It is your donations from all around the world that enable our effort, and we are grateful for your trust in our handling of operations. To that end, we are happy to provide you with our updated financial transparency report, so you see how your donations are managed. Some highlights

• UAO raised over $7 million since 2022 (excluding Amazon wishlist donations)
• 88.7% of funds donated was spent on medical equipment, drones, drone jammers, boats or ambulances for various AFU units
• 8.7% of funds donated covered operational costs like warehousing and shipping to Ukraine for subsequent distribution. Over several months up to October, we reduced operational costs by 1% through more efficient logistics
• 2.6% of funds donated were expended to maintain our popular Victory Gallery, an important pillar of our fundraising; expenses include artist’s compensation and material costs
• In September 2024, we spent just over $200,000, particularly on tactical equipment
• As a registered charity in the U.S., our financials are reported to and subject to audit by the responsible authorities, so you can be confident of our financial conduct

The spreadsheet on our website breaks down how your donations were used. It is frequently updated: https://ukraineaidops.org/pages/legal-info-transparency

For UAO, transparency also means showing our work “on the ground”. We share all deliveries and hand-overs to Ukrainian units on social media, like Twitter or Instagram. For us, it is of utmost importance that you see how your funds arrive on the frontlines in the form of equipment, and our delivery photos and videos are intended to provide you with further assurance. As a registered charity in the U.S., each of our deliveries to the defenders of Ukraine must be documented with so-called send/receive letters that must be signed by the units - a trustworthy paper trail is ensured. If you have further questions, please contact us.

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

Sincerely, the UAO volunteer team. 

Heroyam Slava!