Grassroots funding for Ukraine's military declines as groups look for creative ways to raise money

abcnews.go.com:

Advertisements pasted along the sidewalk in Kyiv ask for donations to help fill financial gaps across Ukraine's military

KYIV, Ukraine — The concert took place in an old movie studio in Kyiv, the location kept secret until the final moment in case it was the target of a Russian attack.

More than 1,000 soldiers and young people gathered to listen to the artists who joined forces with a military brigade in an innovative effort to raise funds for Ukraine’s embattled troops.

This was the first and only live performance of the charity album “Epoch,” a collaboration between the 3rd Assault Brigade and eight Ukrainian bands.

The project’s ambitious target is to raise 50 million hryvnias (about $1.2 million) to buy an M113 armored personnel carrier to help get infantry to the front and evacuate the wounded for medical treatment. Since it launched on streaming platforms a month ago, the initiative has raised 9 million hryvnias (around $214,000).

Grassroots fundraising for Ukrainian fighters dates back to 2014, the year Russia first annexed the southern region of Crimea and Moscow-backed separatists launched an uprising in eastern Ukraine. At that time, Ukraine’s defense was made up of a regular army supported by volunteer battalions who weren't financially supported by Kyiv’s government. Self-funding was critical.

Now, advertisements pasted along the sidewalk in Kyiv ask for donations to help fill financial gaps across the military. By scanning a QR code, people can help buy anything from body warmers and drones to armored cars for soldiers defending the nearly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line.

But some charities are seeing a decline in individual donations in part because of the economic situation in the country.

Oleksa