Protecting Ukraine Together
A Campaign for personal drone detection devices and mine identification manuals for Ukrainian deminers clearing the land for today and for future generations
A marble and larger than life Princess Olha, the tenth-century ruler of Kyiv admired by Ukrainians for her creativity and fighting spirit, looks across Saint Michael’s square in Kyiv, draped in a bulletproof vest.
Printed on her bullet proof vest are the words “Broniuyemo Ukrainske” which means, “Protecting what is Ukrainian”. The Ukrainian phrase, however, conjugates as “we” (though omitting the pronoun), conveying the meaning of “protecting Ukraine together”.
Protecting Ukraine together is the common goal and joint commitment of the men and women, both military and civilian, working for the defence of Ukraine, as well as those across the globe working to support them.
Olha of Kyiv in this bullet proof vest is an apt symbol of Ukraine today: a resourceful and strong nation defending its sovereignty, identity, and future in the face of aggression of a barbaric and lawless neighbour. Protecting Ukraine, all things Ukrainian, and those defending Ukraine in the line of duty and in the line of fire is a noble but difficult mission.
The brave men and women removing mines and unexploded ordnance near the front lines and farther back where demining machines or robots cannot reach or go also need to be protected. Individual sappers who work near the frontlines are targeted by Russian drones carrying grenades and other munitions.
Demining teams and NGOs working in Ukraine have also been targeted, such as the FSD (Fondation Suisse de Déminage) that was deliberately bombed by Russia in Kharkiv last July, and more recently, a group of State Special Transport Services (SSTS) sappers killed in a Russian terrorist attack that targeted men and women in uniform. In that attack Vadym Yeliseev, who was supported by Mriya Aid to train to IMAS EOD Level 3, died along with two colleagues. Their friends, colleagues and supporters mourn and continue protecting Ukraine as Russia continues its aggression.
Russian forces work to injure or kill Ukrainian humanitarian deminers and sappers (military deminers) to prevent Ukrainian progress in liberating territories and to undermine safety and stability for all Ukrainians.
We cannot stop larger or more complex Russian attacks like those that killed Vadym and those that targeted FSD’s offices, but we can help prevent sapper deaths on the frontlines, inlcuding deaths caused by enemy drones targeting individual deminers.
To help protect sappers and deminers, since 2022 Mriya Aid has worked to:
provide IMAS training with rigorous individual and team safety protocols;
train and certify Ukrainians to the highest levels for team management;
make accessible tools that help deminers identify the increasingly wide variety of mines and UXO being found in Ukraine;
provide PPE, metal detectors, toolkits and other equipment for safe operations.
Mriya Aid has provided over 220 Ukrainians with life-saving IMAS training and has equipped over 200 sappers and deminers with life-saving tools.
Mriya Aid is currently fundraising to protect Ukrainian sappers’ lives with:
Personal drone detection devices for sappers that warn deminers of small, munition-carrying Russian drones sent to injure or kill them.
“Miny” - a mine and UXO identification manual that Ukrainian sappers and deminers say helps them tremendously as they clear and dispose of mines & UXO.
Please visit our website to donate to this important campaign.
Please donate any amount you can. Every $100 buys a kit consisting of a personal drone detection device and a mine identification manual.
So far, we’ve raised $2500 for 25 kits!
We hope to raise $25 000 to equip 250 Ukrainian sappers.
