Turkish company Baykar said it will donate three Bayraktar TB2 combat drones to the Ukrainian Armed Forces following a successful crowdfunding campaign.
“Baykar has been informed that a crowdfunding campaign dubbed ‘The People’s Bayraktar’ was successful in raising funds to buy several Bayraktar TB2 UAVs for Ukrainians to use in defense of their Homeland,” the company said in a statement published on June 27, 2022.
“Baykar will not accept payment for the TB2s and will send 3 UAVs free of charge to the Ukrainian war front. We ask that raised funds be remitted instead to the struggling people of Ukraine. We are touched by their solidarity and resolve in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges,” the statement continued.
The ‘People’s Bayraktar’ campaign was started on June 22 by Ukrainian volunteer and influencer, Serhiy Prytula. According to Prytula, the aim was to collect 500 million Ukrainian Hryvnias (UAH) ($17 million), enough to buy three TB2s.
On the evening of June 24, Prytula posted a video on his Facebook account saying that 600 million UAH (more than $20 million) had been collected by the end of day three.
The campaign followed a previous fundraiser, which was initiated by Lithuanian influencer Andrius Tapinas and aimed to raise money to buy one TB2. The campaign resulted in €5.9 million being collected, prompting Baykar to donate a TB2 free of charge.