Ukraine has launched a crowdfunding campaign, “Buy Me A Fighter Jet”, to raise funds from the public and buy the necessary aeroplanes to repeal the Russian attacks. 

In the video on the site, a Ukrainian serviceperson walks towards destroyed military equipment, including a fighter jet and requests the public to help buy another aircraft. The Ukrainian adds, “It will help me to protect my sky filled with Russian planes that bomb my land, kill my friends, and destroy our friends and everything that I have ever known”. 

The serviceperson continues, “Every day we see atrocious war crimes – bombing and shelling of residential buildings, schools, hospitals and kindergartens”. 

The website lists the kind of planes the Ukrainians will need, and it includes Su-22, Su-25, Su-27, Su-24 and MiG-29. It notes the nation’s pilots will also be able to quickly master American jets like the F15, F16 and F18. Each aircraft is estimated to be around $25 million. 

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Ukraine has been ingenious in its war efforts, relying on a crowd-based model for additional troops too. President Volodymyr Zelensky had started the international legion of fighters, with a dedicated website walking volunteers through the signup process. 

This drew people from over the world, including some with extensive military experience, to help in the pushback efforts against Moscow. 

Examples of using crowdsourcing to gain an edge against Russian troops also became evident, with reports of Ukrainians using government apps to alert their forces of enemy troop movement. 

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While Ukraine was promised planes by many countries in the days following the invasion, these didn’t come to fruition. The US played spoilsport, vetoing most offers, out of fear of escalating the current situation. Same fears led to turning down Zelensky’s calls for a no-fly zone, as it would place NATO troops in direct conflict with Russians.