Blast-O-Gram: For $100, Ukraine Shoots Your Message At Russians On Artillery Shell
Due to popular demand - and a temporary decrease in shell availability - the price went from $0 per message to $100. Eager participants can pay with Venmo, Paypal and Revolut. And you get a picture of your message on the shell before it is fired.
$18,000 has been raised to date from the message service. JL
SofRep reports:
To raise money for fighting the Russian invasion, the public (can) send custom messages on artillery shells. The proceeds directly arm Ukrainian forces. Initially priced at $40 per shell, due to
popular demand and decreasing supply of artillery shells, the price has
been raised to $100 per shell. For two, the price
of a message would be $70. Messages written on
surface-to-air missiles will set you back $400. “You have a chance to kill orcs with your text on a
152 mm artillery shell fired at Russian soldiers. You will receive a photo of your
signed grenade.”” The effort has raised $18,000 (so far).
A Ukrainian student has discovered a peculiar way to raise money for
the military fighting against the Russian invasion by offering the
public chance to send custom messages on artillery shells to the Russian
forces before firing them for $40. The proceeds from the fundraising
project will directly be used to arm the Ukrainian forces.
Anton
Sokolenko, a 22-year-old IT student from Cherkasy in central Ukraine,
shared that his message deal has raised thousands of dollars for local
fighters. His ads are posted on social media platforms and forums such
as Reddit.
“You have a chance to kill orcs with your text on a
152 mm artillery shell that will be fired at Russian soldiers,” reads
one of Sokolenko’s promotional posts, using the common Ukrainian slur
“Orc” against a Russian soldier. “You will receive a photo of your
signed grenade.”
Sokolenko
initially priced the donations at $40 per shell. However, due to
popular demand and decreasing supply of artillery shells, the price has
been raised to $100 per shell. If individuals availed of two, the price
of a message would be $70.
Artillery shells with messages written on them (U24/Twitter)
The
ad, posted on the encrypted messaging platform Telegram, states: “You
can ask to write any text: wish someone a happy birthday/ death in pain,
propose marriage, name, Instagram/ telegram username.” He then assured
those seeing the ad that the shell would be fired toward the Russian
forces.
He also posted a list of payment methods such as Venmo,
Paypal, and Revolut, as well as a bank transfer for those seeking to pay
via wire transfer. “Yeah, it’s a real thing… It took about 3 weeks to
get a reply with a picture of my message,” said one satisfied customer.
The
young volunteer disclosed that his efforts are neither officially
sanctioned by the Ukraine government nor the country’s military
authorities. He added most of his orders come from his Telegram channel
and collaborated with a local non-government organization to put the
message on the shells.
The
wacky yet intuitive fundraising program has been an internet favorite,
particularly within the Reddit community, which has been requesting to
inscribe shells with memes. Other messages come with notes of where the
donors came from, such as Australia, Germany, and Belgium.
There were also shells inscribed with unusual greetings such as “Happy Birthday” and “Happy Father’s Day.”
The
NGO “Center for Assistance to the Army, Veterans and Their Families”
has confirmed that Sokolenko, a registered volunteer, has been able to
send over $18,000. The money is used to procure tactical equipment and
other essential goods for nearby detachments.
Another offer from
them is that the public could get their messages written on
surface-to-air missiles that will be fired using a Buk missile system.
This service will set you back about $400.
A Bright, Explosive Idea Riding on Artillery Shells
“I’m
not that brave to participate in the war, so I’m trying to do my best
to help soldiers to stay alive and to kill enemies,” Sokolenko said,
adding that the idea was inspired by the messages-on-shells project that
signed shells to avenge their fallen colleagues.
“I found a volunteer center where I could help with making Molotov cocktails. That was a useless job because their expiration time was one to two days, and we were making 1,600 cocktails a day.”
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An artillery shell with the message “BIG GUY UUUU” written on its side (U24/Twitter)
Sokolenko
initially thought of collecting photos taken from the frontlines to
attract donations. Although it provided an initial influx of cash,
donations eventually dried up. “I was scrolling Ukrainian channels and
saw soldiers signing shells in revenge for their colleagues,” he said,
discussing how he got the idea for his fundraising project.
When
asked about the ethical repercussions of a fundraising project that
rides on possible war casualties, the young volunteer responded:
“It’s
a bit of a provocative question, but as a Ukrainian — as with every
Ukrainian — I can say that I’m happy to know that as many Russian
soldiers were killed as possible.”
Sokolenko noted that the
project has allowed him to purchase two Starlink systems, thermal vision
equipment, and funding for a car which he said was essential in
evacuating wounded soldiers from the frontlines. He noted that about 120
messages are still waiting to be inscribed on the artillery, with more
requests to come as the project gains even more attention.
“Tomorrow,
we will look for another unit to help with making signs because a lot
of people want to help with making it popular,” he said.
Since
the start of the war, Ukrainians have found creative ways to raise money
for their troops fighting against what was supposedly a modern and
highly equipped military – the Russian Armed Forces. One Ukrainian
brewery launched a special dry-hopped golden ale called Putin Huilo,
which translates to “Putin is a d*ckhead.” Furthermore, Citizen Brick, a
LEGO company, has raised thousands of dollars through their custom line
of block figurines featuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and
Molotov cocktails.
With
the Ukrainian Armed Forces losing morale while fighting the Russians in
the east, there’s no doubt they need all the help they can to purchase
sorely needed military equipment. If this is something that piques your
interest in helping the Ukrainians out, you can directly contact Anton
Sokolenko at @artillery_text on Telegram.
Like I must say that war is not a solution to anything many innocent people die for nothing. A country took 100 years to make their country modern and up to date and then the war came and they destroy the effort and hard work of 100 years of a country. Most importantly people died and they have nothing to do with this. Just want to say that war is not a solution you have no idea how many people suffer because of this.
As a Partner and Co-Founder of Predictiv and PredictivAsia, Jon specializes in management performance and organizational effectiveness for both domestic and international clients. He is an editor and author whose works include Invisible Advantage: How Intangilbles are Driving Business Performance. Learn more...
1 comments:
Like I must say that war is not a solution to anything many innocent people die for nothing. A country took 100 years to make their country modern and up to date and then the war came and they destroy the effort and hard work of 100 years of a country. Most importantly people died and they have nothing to do with this. Just want to say that war is not a solution you have no idea how many people suffer because of this.
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