Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. There have been many efforts from Ukrainians to help fund their defense efforts since then. The latest of which is an initiative where a group of entrepreneurial Ukrainians are selling luggage tags made out of shot-down Russian fighter jets, which you can buy for $399. Each tag specifies the model of the jet on one side and the date and time when it was shot down. Each tag also has the crash coordinates and the tail number of the jet it was made from.
A group of inventive Ukrainians is selling luggage tags made out of Russian fighter jet scrap to help fund their country’s war efforts. The group is called “recycle Russia” and was founded by German-Ukrainian couple Fred Roeder and Maria Semykoz.
“Russia’s fighter jets and helicopters terrorize Ukrainians,” their website explains. “They kill with bombs, missiles, and salvos. Ukrainians defend their homeland and turn Russian war machines into scrap.”
“We recycle this scrap into luggage tags. The money we raise goes to support Ukraine’s defenders.”
If you want a tag, you’ve got to stump up US $399 ($633 AUD). You can also donate smaller amounts ($10, $50, $100 etc.) but you won’t get the tag.
The company says it is run entirely by volunteers, and all funds go directly towards helping Ukraine in the face of the invasion. The money goes to things like drones and other non-lethal supplies such as warm clothes.
According to The Independent, “In the past the organisation has funded thermal cameras, radios, protective vests and helmets to Ukrainian resistance fighters through sibling website Buy4aUkrainian.org.”
The Independent also reports that “the project came about after Ukrainian MP Maryan Zablotsky secured 60 of the tags, which had been made by the unit that shot down one Russian jet over Ukranian airspace.”
Co-founder of Recycle Russia, Roeder further elaborated on this, speaking to Airport Technology: “The Ukrainian unit that shot down the Russian SU-34 wanted to put this aggressive plane to good use and hence decided to collect the scrap of the plane and turn it into luggage tags.”
“In the future, we plan to provide luggage tags made out of Russian cruise missiles that targeted Kyiv.”
It’s also worth noting there have been various scammers posing as charities that donate money to Ukraine. So always do your own research before donating to anything.
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