It is a “symbolic gesture of the Lithuanian nation to the Ukrainians,” Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvindas Anousauskas said.
Lithuanian authorities on Wednesday unveiled a Turkish-made armed unmanned aerial vehicle they are preparing to send to Ukraine to help in its war with Russia, after raising 5.9 million euros to buy it thanks to a mobilization of the country’s citizens.
“This weapon will be sent to Ukraine immediately after its presentation to the public,” Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvindas Anousauskas said during a press conference at the Siuli Air Base (North).
Of course, a remote-controlled drone “will not change the course of the war”, it is a “symbolic gesture of the Lithuanian nation to the Ukrainians”, Mr Anousauskas said.
The Lithuanians raised 5.9 million euros in three and a half days after a public campaign was launched to buy a Turkish Bayraktar TB2 UAV for Ukraine, before the manufacturer announced it would offer it for free.
Part of the amount raised was decided to be used to buy weapons for this drone, while the rest will be allocated to provide humanitarian aid to the Ukrainians.
“We showed the world what a small country can do,” said Andrus Tapinas, founder of the online television station Laisvės TV, which took the initiative.
Ukraine’s ambassador to Lithuania, Petro Besta, praised the “leadership” shown by the Baltic country of 2.8 million people at the European level and the “synergy of the company and state authorities”.
“Creative solutions and initiatives like this can help us win the war,” he said.
Thanks to Ankara, the Turkish UAVs at Kyiv’s disposal began operating in the early hours of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and, at least according to the Ukrainian staff, proved to be an extremely feared weapon in this war. Ukraine had bought more than 20 TB2s in previous years and ordered another 16 on January 27. This batch was delivered in early March.
Last week, Baykar, their manufacturer, announced that it would donate three more TB2s to Ukraine, after a crowdfunding campaign raised enough to buy “enough” .
The Bayraktar family founded the company that manufactures these aircraft in 1980. Haluk Bayraktar succeeded his father in running it along with his brother Selcuk—the husband of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s daughter.
TB2 has been exported to 22 countries.
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