Crowdfunding has become an important tool for Ukraine as it turns to ordinary citizens to help bolster national defence and supply its ill-equipped army against Russian forces.
Grassroots appeals started by volunteers have sprung up across the internet in recent months, with urgent requests for commercial drones, medical supplies and even military jets to assist the war effort.
From the beginning of the invasion, authorities in Kyiv have seen crowdfunding as an opportunity to link up with western donors desperate to make a contribution to Ukraine's outnumbered and under-resourced armed forces.
Although these efforts may seem insignificant compared with the $50 billion pledged to Ukraine by western governments, crowdfunding continues to play a vital role in supplying front-line troops.
In March, Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy launched the United24 platform, where donors could send charitable contributions to help defend Ukraine's borders and assist with reconstruction when the conflict finally ends.
Data show that the campaign has already raised $43 million, with over half of the funds going to acquiring helmets and body armour for soldiers, further illustrating the need for even for the most basic of military gear.
The National Bank of Ukraine has joined in by setting up methods for people to send money using technology such as Google Pay. The programme has been successful, generating more than €400m since March.
Drones
Commercial drones, once a rarity, are now used extensively by Ukraine's armed forces thanks to their effectiveness in reconnaissance.
As a result, they are in high demand on the front line and have proven to be a relatively cost-effective way for donors to make a direct impact.
Eyes on Ukraine is one appeal aiming to send more of these drones to the eastern front. The campaign was launched by Kazakhstan-born Farid Bekirov, who lived for some time in eastern Ukraine.
On June 6, his team sent a Toyota Landcruiser across the Polish border laden with 86 drones purchased by internet sponsors. It was the second such convoy to be sent by the team and they hope to deliver 500 drones to where they are needed most in the coming weeks.
Earlier this month, it was reported that people in Lithuania had raised about $6m to help buy a Turkish-made Bayraktar drone.
The private crowdfunding campaign went viral in the Baltic nation of 2.8 million people, drawing donations from thousands of private citizens, young and old.
Supplies for Ukrainian soldiers
Ukrainians say crowdfunding initiatives have been successful in moving items to the front by bypassing military bureaucracy.
War Stop is one such campaign that links up Ukrainian soldiers with life-saving items that can be easily bought on local Amazon sites, including first aid kits, thermal clothing and boots.
Set up by a team of volunteers from Ukraine and Europe, the campaign collects the items at its logistics centre in Przemysl, Poland, and then transfers them across the border to Ukrainian forces.
The team has also set up a second campaign, Car4Ukraine, which operates along similar lines.
Car4Ukraine buys civilian jeeps and other off-road vehicles from European sellers and transforms them into personnel carriers by adding armour and weaponry that allow them to be used in combat and support roles.
Sixty of these jeeps have been completed so far and the team hopes to build at least 15 more in the coming weeks.
Ivan Oleksii, co-founder of Car4Ukraine, says crowdfunding projects have built on a volunteer movement that began following the uprising by Russian-backed Donbas separatists in 2014.
“Something like this gives an example to other people. You start a chain reaction where people want to help others,” he told The National from his office near Lviv.
Teams of volunteers are highly mobile and more adaptable at ferrying vital items to the front line without coming up against red tape, he said.
“We just send money to the seller and for fuel and a few hours later there is a volunteer sitting in the car who drives it to Ukraine,” Mr Oleksii added.
“We're a lot more mobile. It's a lot faster to do from the beginning to the end.”
Mr Oleksii said the fleet of retrofitted jeeps have since been deployed by Ukrainian battalions for use in missions that have destroyed Russian tanks.
“When one car you spent $9,000 on is kicking a tank that cost a few million dollars … then that's a huge, huge success. That's why it is extremely important to do this.”
Fighter Jets
One area where Ukraine has badly struggled is in the air. Russia's jets have established a firm grip over the skies of Ukraine due to Kyiv's smaller number of operational fighter squadrons.
The US decision to deny Poland's request to send MiG fighters to Ukraine dealt a damaging blow to hopes that the status quo could be reversed.
Buy Me a Fighter Jet was launched in response and aimed to buy MiG or Su aircraft from third parties and hand them over to Ukraine's air force.
But the campaign has fallen far short of the $20m needed to buy one MiG-29 jet. The campaign had originally looked to wealthy Americans, but many have instead opted to donate directly to the government in Kyiv.
Crypto accepted
The desperate need for cash has resulted in Ukraine turning to unexpected places, including a foray into blockchain technology.
In late February, Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation set up a page that accepted donations in cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Ethereum and Tether and raised $67m in about a month.
In April, Ukraine announced that it would trade NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, by selling 300 tokens on the OpenSea market place.
The ministry said that the subsequent donations were used to purchase thousands of items, including digital rifle scopes, thermal imagers and monoculars.
However, the recent sell-off in the cryptocurrency space makes further donations along these lines unlikely.
As the conflict grinds on, Ukraine is hoping to keep the outside funds flowing and says it is committed to devising ways to keep global attention trained on its war efforts.
Digital marketers are already working with the Ukrainian government and foresee a future in which people looking to help Ukraine might buy a T-shirt with an image of Mr Zelenskyy printed on it or other such merchandise.
“There is a wave and there is this kind of euphoria, but then it abates,” said Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who also serves as minister of digital transformation, in an interview earlier this month.
“We want to keep up this positive energy, the positive vibes.”
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Super 30
Produced: Sajid Nadiadwala and Phantom Productions
Directed: Vikas Bahl
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Srivastav, Mrinal Thakur
Rating: 3.5 /5
The specs: 2017 Dodge Viper SRT
Price, base / as tested Dh460,000
Engine 8.4L V10
Transmission Six-speed manual
Power 645hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 813Nm @ 5,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 16.8L / 100km
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
BRAZIL SQUAD
Alisson (Liverpool), Daniel Fuzato (Roma), Ederson (Man City); Alex Sandro (Juventus), Danilo (Juventus), Eder Militao (Real Madrid), Emerson (Real Betis), Felipe (Atletico Madrid), Marquinhos (PSG), Renan Lodi (Atletico Madrid), Thiago Silva (PSG); Arthur (Barcelona), Casemiro (Real Madrid), Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa), Fabinho (Liverpool), Lucas Paqueta (AC Milan), Philippe Coutinho (Bayern Munich); David Neres (Ajax), Gabriel Jesus (Man City), Richarlison (Everton), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool), Rodrygo (Real Madrid), Willian (Chelsea).
MATCH INFO
Inter Milan 1 (Martinez 18' pen)
Juventus 2 (Dybala 4', Higuain 80')
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MATCH SCHEDULE
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tuesday, April 24 (10.45pm)
Liverpool v Roma
Wednesday, April 25
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid (10.45pm)
Europa League semi-final, first leg
Thursday, April 26
Arsenal v Atletico Madrid (11.05pm)
Marseille v Salzburg (11.05pm)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: N2 Technology
Founded: 2018
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Startups
Size: 14
Funding: $1.7m from HNIs
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
The biog
Age: 30
Position: Senior lab superintendent at Emirates Global Aluminium
Education: Bachelor of science in chemical engineering, post graduate degree in light metal reduction technology
Favourite part of job: The challenge, because it is challenging
Favourite quote: “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” Gandi
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
SPECS
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What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
The specs: 2018 Mazda CX-5
Price, base / as tested: Dh89,000 / Dh130,000
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder
Power: 188hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 251Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.1L / 100km
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
The years Ramadan fell in May
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Milkman by Anna Burns
Ordinary People by Diana Evans
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Circe by Madeline Miller
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