A Czech-based crowdfunding initiative known as “Gifts for Putin” has raised more than €500,000 in under 48 hours to purchase an FP-5 “Flamingo” cruise missile for Ukraine, campaign organizers said on Monday.

The drive, launched on the group’s social media channels, has drawn donations from across Europe and forms part of a broader effort that also funds ammunition, drones, emergency medical evacuations and pilot training.

Organizers announced that the missile acquired through the campaign will be christened “DANA 1” in honor of Dana Drábová, a recently deceased Czech nuclear physicist and co-founder of the organization. According to the campaign, the Flamingo purchased will be delivered directly to the Ukrainian Armed Forces; operational deployment and target selection, they say, will be determined solely by Ukraine’s military.

The missile in question — the FP-5 Flamingo — is produced by Ukrainian defense start-up Fire Point. Campaign materials and Fire Point officials describe the system as having a reported range of 3,000 kilometers, a payload capacity of roughly 1,150 kilograms, and top speeds near 900 km/h powered by a jet engine. Organizers additionally say the Flamingo features enhanced resistance to electronic-warfare countermeasures and a GPS guidance system designed to resist jamming.

“Airborne combat currently represents our only real asymmetric advantage on the battlefield,” Fire Point’s production director, Iryna Terekh, said in comments shared by the campaign. “We do not have the manpower or financial resources that our adversary has.” Terekh and campaign backers argue that crowdfunding enables ordinary people and small organizations to contribute directly to Ukraine’s defense capabilities.

Ukrainian officials have previously hailed the Flamingo as one of the country’s most successful indigenous systems. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has praised the missile publicly, and Ukrainian authorities said mass production was expected to begin between December 2025 and early 2026. Officials also reported that Flamingo missiles have already been operationally tested in strikes on Russian intelligence facilities in occupied Crimea, the campaign materials state.

The drive highlights a broader transformation in Ukraine’s war economy since Russia’s 2022 invasion. Kyiv loosened regulation to allow startups to collaborate directly with the military, prompting companies across metallurgy, construction and information-technology sectors to pivot toward producing weaponry, ammunition and drones. Organizers say that close cooperation with the armed forces has allowed rapid adaptation of technologies under combat conditions.

Campaign leaders stressed transparency, saying the funds will be used to buy the missile without intermediaries and that delivery will be coordinated with Ukrainian authorities. The “Gifts for Putin” initiative has become a high-profile example of transnational civilian support for Ukraine, combining grassroots fundraising with nascent defense industry innovation. (ILKHA)