LRT, together with Blue/Yellow, Laisves TV and Stiprus Kartu, is launching the third Radarom! campaign to fundraise for Ukraine. This year, the money will be used to procure drones and anti-drones for the country that has been at war for three years.
The campaign will run on February 3-24.
Drones and anti-drones are badly needed by the Ukrainian army, they provide a rapid response to attacks, intelligence and other tasks, while anti-drones prevent the enemy from reaching troops or striking important targets. Ukraine needs to establish as strong a position as possible in the run-up to possible peace talks.
“Despite all the talk about peace negotiations, the war in Ukraine is not over yet, and they desperately need drones. We can be proud that over the past years the Lithuanian defence industry has developed highly advanced and advantage-giving drones and anti-drones. Together with our campaign partners, we have decided that they should be a special Radarom! highlight. This way we will not only help Ukraine, but also grow our defence potential,” said LRT director general Monika Garbaciauskaite-Budriene.
Two thirds of the funds raised during the Radarom! campaign will be used to buy drones and anti-drones made in Lithuania, while one third will be spent in Ukraine. Using their years of experience, the drones and anti-drones will be selected by the Blue/Yellow, an organisation that has a decade-long experience of working to provide military support for Ukraine.
“By giving part of the money to drones made in Ukraine, we will ensure that the support is used with the utmost speed. At the start of the campaign, the drones in Ukraine will be able to be immediately handed over to the troops in combat, and our organisation will ensure a smooth process,” said Blue/Yellow co-founder Jonas Ohman.
As in previous years, business organisations are also invited to join the campaign. The size or form of the donation is not important – what matters is the desire to help Ukraine and its people. LRT and the donor organisations are grateful to all businesses for their support. Their list can be found on radarom.lt.
The campaign will last for three weeks and will culminate in a special broadcast on LRT TV, LRT RADIO and LRT.lt on February 23. The final concert will be broadcast at 21:00 on February 23 on LRT TV and LRT.lt.
In 2023, the first Radarom! campaign raised over 14 million euros, which was used to buy 17 radars, four enhanced mobility vehicles for mobile radars, training for radar users in Ukraine, and the remaining money was used to buy 69 anti-drones and accessories for radar-using Ukrainian troops. This was by far the largest donation campaign in Lithuania’s history.
Last year, Radarom! raised 8.6 million euros, which was used to purchase 1,141 safe soldier kits. The package consisted of individual anti-drones, night vision monoculars and laser sights manufactured by Brolis Semiconductors and NT Service. (LRT)