Slovakia raises EUR 1.2 million to modernize T-72 tank for Ukraine

The Slovak Dennik N publication reported that the organizers, the NGO Gift to Ukraine, want to raise EUR 1.2 million and have reached an agreement with the company where the T-72M1 tank is currently being modernized.

So far, almost EUR 31,000 have been raised from the required amount, according to the project's official website.

The fundraising was started by the Mutsko family, who own a men's suit shop in Bratislava. The campaign was supported by public figures, including actors Richard Stanke and Jevgenij Libeznuk.

“It is time for Slovakia to make a big gesture to show that it is on the side of Ukraine. To send a signal that the majority of Slovaks want Ukraine to win," commented on behalf of the family Nicolas Mutka, the youngest of the four brothers.

According to the initiative's website, fundraising started on May 1, 2023. The total amount raised will be paid to the arms company, after which the tank will be handed over to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The embassy of Ukraine in the Slovak Republic will provide transportation of the combat vehicle to Ukraine.

The tank is expected to be delivered in September 2023.

• In the fall, a civic initiative in the Czech Republic raised more than EUR 1 million in a month to buy a modernized T-72 for Ukraine, and the tank was named Tomáš in honor of the first president of Czechoslovakia, Tomáš Masaryk.