Event Highlights
- Date and Venue: On Monday, February 3, a ceremony took place at the Embassy of Ukraine in Latvia.
- Notable Attendees: Dace Melbarde, Parliamentary Secretary of the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Anatoly Kutsevol, Ukrainian Ambassador to Latvia; Ruta Dimante, Head of the Ziedot.lv Charity Foundation.
- Purpose: The participants announced the shipment of 100 Latvian-made FPV drones to Ukrainian military units.
Distribution to Ukrainian Units
- The drones will be delivered to the 21st Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the “Lyut” Brigade of the National Guard.
- Coordination of the transfer is managed by the Embassy of Ukraine in Latvia.
Funding the Project
- Charitable Initiative: Funds were raised through multiple sources, including an effort led by Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže, who ran the Riga Half Marathon in May 2024, urging donations for essential military drones.
- Partnership: The project is a collaboration between the Embassy of Ukraine in Latvia and the Ziedot.lv Charity Foundation; to date, they have collected approximately €130,000.
“Acquiring one of these drones can potentially destroy enemy equipment worth millions of dollars. By doing so, we help Ukrainian defenders damage the manpower and machinery of Russian occupiers, while supporting Latvia’s economy and local drone manufacturers,”
– Anatoly Kutsevol, Ambassador of Ukraine to Latvia
Broader Context
- Additional Allied Support:
- On January 6, it was announced that the UK, along with NATO allies including Latvia, would provide 30,000 new drones to Ukraine.
- On February 3, organizations in Lithuania, supported by Lithuanian National Radio and Television, launched “Radarom!”, a campaign to raise funds for drones and anti-drone systems for the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
This latest delivery from Latvia demonstrates continued international support for Ukraine’s defense capabilities, leveraging both public donations and government coordination to address critical needs on the front lines.
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