Thread by @TimothyDSnyder

Please help me protect life in Ukraine. Russia has targeted Ukrainian civilians and civilian infrastructure. This means the water supplies and energy supplies that people need to stay alive, especially throughout the winter. Last winter Russia tried to freeze the Ukrainians. 1/

Last year, many of you joined me in a @U24_gov_ua project to fund development and early implementation of an anti-drone system to protect Ukrainian civilians. 2/

As you might have noticed, the Ukrainian armed forces did indeed become very good at detecting and destroying Russian drones, especially the Iranian-made Shahed kamikaze systems. 3/

Russia has taken to attacking other cities and provincial towns throughout Ukraine, with the desire not just to kill some but to deprive all of water, power, and heat. 4/

Russia also sends its drones and cruise missiles to destroy ports and grain storage facilities. Since Ukraine supplies much of Asia and Africa with food, this brings starvation and conflict around the world. 5/

When I was last in Ukraine, in September, every locality I visited had been targeted. When I visited Odesa, landmarks I knew from previous visits had been destroyed. 6/

One night in Odesa I slept through the air-raid alert. It turned out that the cruise missile was headed not for the city but for the port of Izmail, to hit Ukrainian grain shipments. 7/

Such attacks have to be stopped and they can be. The Safe Skies detection system the Ukrainians have developed works. 8/

When I was visiting Ukraine I toured a Safe Skies facility. I have met some of the people involved and have had the science and the engineering explained to me. The detection is done in an extremely clever way. 9/

My new Safe Skies fundraiser aims to spread the drone-detection system throughout the entire country. Millions of people would be shielded. Thousands of lives can be saved. 10/
u24.gov.ua/safeskies

I have taken responsibility for raising $950,000, which will cover 2,500 detection outposts, enough to protect a fifth of the territory of Ukraine – an area about the size of Pennsylvania or Ohio, or Bulgaria or Greece. 11/

Russia has attacked Ukraine and commits war crime after war crime. 12/

The system we are funding, which I have seen myself, is one of passive detection. It locates drones and cruise missiles while they are in the air over Ukraine, thereby giving the Ukrainians a chance to halt the instruments of Russian murder and terror – and to preserve life. 13/

I very much hope you will join me in this fundraiser. There are many horrors throughout the world. This is one you can help stop with a few clicks and a bit of generosity. Please donate and please share this thread. Thank you. 14/
u24.gov.ua/safeskies