Outfit new brigades with thermal monoculars!
This blog post is asking for your help to Outfit New Brigades for the upcoming Ukrainian counteroffensive.
In anticipation of the upcoming counteroffensive, the Ukrainian military is forming new brigades and the Defenders in these brigades are in need of key protective equipment, including thermal cameras. The newly formed 33rd Brigade has 1,000 Defenders and has requested 20-30 thermal cameras or monoculars (1 for every 40-50 defenders). Thermal monoculars vary in resolution and quality and cost $500-$1,500 each.
We already have sent about a dozen thermal cameras to the Brigade and need to raise another $20,000 to outfit the brigade with these valuable tools. Two generous donors have stepped up to provide one $5,000 match each to help us meet that goal, and we’ve already raised $5,290 through our Outfit New Brigades campaign, so we just have another $4,710 to go. Donate today to help us unlock this match and double the impact of your donation!
SFSU team member in Ukraine transferring the first 20 thermal cameras to a 33rd brigade representative.
Why are thermal cameras so essential? These small pieces of equipment save lives by allowing Defenders to see approaching danger and react before their lives are in imminent risk. The standard set of equipment that Ukrainian Defenders receive when they are deployed to the front lines allows them to perform their basic functions. The newly formed brigades are not being issued thermal monoculars as part of their kits because they are not specified as necessary equipment by outdated army documents, though most defenders are trained and know how to use them.
How do we get optics to Ukrainian Defenders? We have volunteers on the ground in Poland and Ukraine who have become expert at shepherding supplies through the customs process and to our distribution hub in Rivne, from where they are delivered to the front lines. We purchase the most common optical devices in Poland and Germany, and hard-to-find specialty optics in the USA.
If you’d like to learn more about this and other Sunflower Seeds Ukraine initiatives, go to Outfit New Brigades.