Ukrainians Launch Crowdfunding Campaign for “Nuclear Weapons”

A crowdfunding campaign in Ukraine, initially framed as fundraising for “nuclear weapons,” gained international attention after raising significant funds within hours. The initiative was launched by Oleh Horokhovskyi, co-founder of Monobank, one of Ukraine’s largest banks.

Horokhovskyi announced the campaign on his Telegram channel, stating that it was started following multiple requests from Ukrainians. Within 30 minutes, contributions surpassed 2 million UAH, and by the end of the first day, donations exceeded 27 million UAH, with contributions from 61 countries. The largest foreign donations came from the United States and Poland.

According to Horokhovskyi, the fundraiser was not intended to finance nuclear weapons but was instead a symbolic expression of frustration. Speaking to BBC Ukraine, he described the campaign as a joke and emphasized that the funds would be redirected to support the Ukrainian military by purchasing drones or addressing humanitarian needs.

“I created this fundraiser in a minute, quickly shared it, and this madness started… But this clearly shows how sensitive this issue is for Ukraine. It shows how painful the current situation is for Ukrainians,” Horokhovskyi noted.

The campaign emerged in the context of a recent meeting in Washington, where U.S. President Donald Trump, U.S. Senator J.D. Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reportedly engaged in a heated discussion.

Trump suggested that Ukraine was not prepared for peace, accusing the country of “playing with World War III”.

Following this exchange, the Ukrainian delegation left the White House early, and Ukraine and the U.S. did not sign the planned framework agreement on mineral resources.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that if Ukraine’s NATO accession is delayed for years or even decades, the country must receive alternative security guarantees, including nuclear weapons or a sufficient supply of missiles. In an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan on February 4, he emphasized that if Ukraine is not granted NATO membership, Western partners should provide the necessary military support to ensure the country’s security.