Lithuanian journalist and social media personality Andrius Tapinas has launched a crowdfunding campaign to buy a Bayraktar TB2 military drone for Ukraine, LRT reported.

“The defense ministries of Lithuania and Turkey gave the green light, the manufacturer said yes. And now one word is sounding in my head, Bayraktar,” Tapinas said in a Facebook post on Wednesday, inviting his followers to donate.

Manufactured by the Turkish company Baykar, the drones have been used by the Ukrainian military in defense against the Russian invasion. In early May, a missile launched from a Bayraktar TB2 destroyed a Russian landing ship near Snake Island in the Black Sea.

“The Ukrainian dagger in the night. The assassin of the Russian army. An unmanned tactical combat aircraft that carries laser-guided high-precision bombs and long-range air-to-ground anti-tank missiles. In Ukraine’s war, Bayraktars have already destroyed Russian command posts, tanks, and missile launchers,” Tapinas wrote.

Tagged bayraktarasUkrainai, the campaign aims to raise 5 million euros in three weeks. Tapinas’ own media company, Laisvės TV, will contribute 62000 euros left from earlier Ukraine support campaigns, he said.

This morning, in an interview for Suspilne Tapinas said that already half of the money has been collected, i.e. over 2.5 million euros in less than two days, with most of the donations coming from Lithuanian citizens.