Raising funds through cash or in-kind gifts from citizens to pay for military equipment is nothing new. But the request of "buy me a fighter jet" made by Ukraine air force for crowdfunding a jet is unconventional.
Instead of waiting for NATO to transfer foreign fighter jets, enterprising Ukrainians seem to have started the #buymeafighterjet initiative to crowdsource the replenishment of the country's fighter force. It is unclear whether or not the endeavor is legal.
On April 14th, a cleverly constructed video depicting what appears to be a Ukrainian jet pilot, wearing a helmet with the visor down and striding in front of a shot-up MiG-29, started spreading online. The pilot is philosophical on what the Ukrainian Air Force can achieve if resupplied with functional jets, as he observes the remains of at least two wrecked MiGs.
Donated fighters will “help me to protect my sky, filled with Russian planes that bomb my land, kill my friends and destroy our homes and everything ...