Nomeites continue to support Ukraine
At 6:25 a.m. Alaska Time on Thursday, July 28, 10 Hecht electric ATVs crossed over the border from Poland into Ukraine. The quad bikes are the result of months of work by Nomeites Mark Hayward and Ian Foster, who had been working together on tackling several issues that Hayward first identified on his trip to volunteer for the Ukrainian Foreign Legion in March and April of this year.
Fearing a currency crash after the start of the invasion, Foster said that Hayward first reached out to him to facilitate a gold sale, as gold is commonly used to preserve value against money. Foster heard about the work Hayward was doing, facilitated the sale and donated a gold bar to the efforts.
From Ukraine, Hayward again reached out to Foster discussing three problems: he couldn’t get the training software for the Javelin antitank missile system, he couldn’t reach any of Alaska’s Senators, and he couldn’t get any small, silent vehicles with a low thermal signature to avoid being noticed by invading Russian troops.
By connecting with Senator Lisa Murkowski’s office, the Department of Defense was made aware of the issue with the Javelins, and senior defense officials said that kits requested by the Ukrainian government were supplied.
The third problem proved to be harder. Ukrainian defenders needed a way to get close to and away from the invading Russians quickly and secretly. Javelin-armed soldiers could be sent via electric ATV to within range of Russian tanks despite being heavily out-armored and outgunned. Hayward ordered a dozen, only to learn that a donation didn’t come through and the ATVs sat in a warehouse in Poland.
Hayward and Foster crowdfunded – and put in lots of their own money – to finish the order. Developments in technology have made global crowdfunding easier: within the first month of the invasion, Ukraine had received over $100 million dollars in cryptocurrency donations from around the world.
“We’re still doing lots,” Hayward said.
Speaking at the Rotary Club weekly meeting in Nome last week he shared pictures of his travels and in a way which belied the weight of the subject. In his time in Ukraine, he said he’d meet with anyone who might have ideas and adaptable skills, from translation to soldering electronics or printing icing on cookies. In a similar manner, he asked for advice from Rotarians on fundraising and encouraged listeners to contact elected officials, reminding them that the conflict in Ukraine is still going on.
Foster had ideas for future projects, too. He’d like to get Ukrainians involved in writing and attaching messages to balloons before releasing them on a windy day.
“How can you instill some hope?” he said, “That’s the idea here.”