The big surprise that Lithuania got when buying a Bayraktar TB2 drone for Ukraine

@DefAviation ES 6·03·2022 · 20:46 0

The countries that have historically suffered the most from Russian imperialism and Soviet imperialism are making great efforts to help Ukraine.

The attack of a Ukrainian drone Bayraktar TB2 against a Russian landing craft
The destruction of two Russian patrol boats by a Ukrainian Bayraktar TB2 drone

We have already seen here the case of the great help that Poland is providing to Ukraine, but it should be noted that the small Baltic republics (Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia) are making a great effort to support the Ukrainians. An especially worthwhile effort if we take into account that these three countries are not exactly rich and have modest armed forces.

That effort is not limited to the political sphere. Two weeks ago, a Lithuanian media, Laisvės TV (i.e. Freedom TV) launched a fundraiser, raising €330,000 to buy two small Estonian-made reconnaissance drones to donate to Ukraine, so that it has more means to guide their artillery fire. This collection was made in 16 hours and at the request of the Embassy of Ukraine in Lithuania.

Last week, Laisvės TV launched a new fundraiser to purchase a Bayraktar TB2 drone for Ukraine. This drone, made in Turkey, is medium-sized, can be armed and is already used by Ukraine. In fact, he is using it very effectively against the Russians and in Ukraine it has become so popular that they have even dedicated a song to it:

This time the challenge was not easy, since a TB2 is an expensive aircraft (the small Lithuanian Air Force does not even have drones of that size), but in three days 5.8 million euros were collected in donations sent from 50 countries, although 95% of the money comes from Lithuanian citizens.

This Wednesday, June 1, the Lithuanian Defense Minister, Arvydas Anušauskas, signed an agreement with Turkey authorizing the sale of the drone. But the next day the surprise came: in a message posted on its official Twitter account, Baykar, the manufacturer of the Bayraktar TB2, announced the following:

"The people of Lithuania have honorably raised funds to buy a Bayraktar TB2 for Ukraine. Upon learning this, Baykar will gift a Bayraktar TB2 to Lithuania free of charge and asks those funds go to Ukraine for humanitarian aid."

The Turkish company has published the photos that you can see in this post with the visit of the Lithuanian delegation to its factory.

Arvydas Anušauskas yesterday showed his surprise at the gesture of the Turkish company: "It is amazing! For the gathered money we will buy the needed ammunition for the Bayraktar and the rest of money will also go for support of Ukraine," the minister said. This morning, Anušauskas pointed out that the drone will be ready in early July, and that Turkey will hand it over to Lithuania so that Lithuania, in turn, will hand it over to Ukraine.

What happened is something admirable. The Lithuanian people and the Baykar company deserve a round of applause. Their gesture is highly commendable and they show that they have understood that Ukraine today is the shield that protects the free world from Russian imperialism. The example of Lithuania should serve as a reflection for the democratic countries that continue to skimp on aid to Ukraine (I am no longer saying anything about those who have denied it, because nothing can be expected from them).