Ukrainian Volunteer Writes Messages On Bombs Targeting Russian Troops To Raise Funds For Army

In an innovative fundraising venture, a Ukrainian volunteer working on the frontline is offering to write personalized messages on bombs targeting Russian troops for a donation of $40.

The volunteer was identified as a 20-year-old IT student in Ukraine who wants to raise funds for the Ukrainian army, Vice reported.

The young man with the account name artillery_text has advertised his work through a Telegram group. He has offered to paint messages on 152mm artillery shells that would be used against "orcs" in exchange for a $40 donation. Orcs is a derogatory term used by Ukrainians to refer to the Russian army.

"You have a chance to kill orcs with your text on 152mm artillery shell that will be fired at Russian soldiers. You will receive a photo with your signed grenade," the young man said in the post.

At a discounted rate of $70, the volunteer said he would write personalized messages on two grenades.

"You can ask to write any text: wish someone a happy birthday/ death in pain, propose marriage, name, Instagram/ telegram username," the post read.

The customers can make payments through PayPal, Venmo, Revolut and bank account numbers for wire transfers. The advertisement also assured that all donations would be spent on buying equipment for Ukrainian soldiers, Lad Bible reported.

To further convince the buyers, the young man also posted photos of some of his recent orders. Some customers have replied to his post claiming that they have already made the purchase and assured others that the service was legitimate.

"If you donate you can get your message on an artillery shell. The fundraiser has a few different options for artillery type, and the donation request amount varies based on the difficulty of getting your message to the battalion," a customer reportedly told Vice.

Meanwhile, the young man said he started the new venture after trying different voluntary jobs to help the Ukrainian army. "At the begging of the war, I wasn’t doing anything and it kept bugging me. I found a volunteer center where I could help with making Molotov cocktails. That was a useless job because their expiration time was one to two days and we were making 1,600 cocktails a day," the man reportedly told the news outlet Vice.

The new project has reportedly earned him around $11,000 with which he has already purchased two Starlink systems, a thermal sight, and a car to evacuate injured soldiers from the war front.

About 120 messages are waiting to go out on shells, the young man claimed. "Tomorrow we will look for another unit to help with making signs because a lot of people want to help with making it popular," he added.