Help us to save Ukrainian cultural heritage
Imagine a truck with the perfect technical equipment for scanning printed and written documents, books and other archival materials. Its expertly trained crew can take a perfect digital impression of any document anywhere and store it in a central archive. If the original is damaged or destroyed, the experts have the ability to reconstruct the document. Ark 2 will cost 480 000 euro.
Why does Ukraine need Ark 2?
The invasion of Ukraine was launched by Russia at the end of February 2022. Since then, the Russians have been ruthlessly killing civilians and destroying the civilian and economic infrastructure of the country.
It is absolutely clear that the Russians are also purposely destroying Ukrainian culture - historical buildings, statues, paintings, libraries and a huge number of objects that document the history of the Ukrainian nation.
In Mariupol, for example, Russian soldiers broke into a museum and stole precious paintings, statues and highly valuable and rare Christian icons, and according to available data, Russian soldiers have already stolen two thousand works of art.
We cannot prevent the Russians from stealing and destroying in Ukraine, but we can help Ukraine to mitigate at least part of the losses.
Who is behind the project?
The Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, the Czech Committee of ICOM, the Foundation Fund for Ukraine and the National Library of the Czech Republic. The project is a part of the Support of Ukrainian Culture programme of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic and the ICOM Czech Committee.
The fundraising is for the Ark 2 project, does that mean that Ark 1 already exists?
Yes. Ark 1 is a mobile conservation facility. It's a van that has fundamentally different equipment than Ark 2. It will be preserving written cultural heritage in different places in Ukraine. Ark 1 cost 400 000 euro and the Karel Komarek Family Foundation, MND a.s. and Mr Libor Winkler and his friends helped pay for its purchase. And for that we owe them a big thank you.
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100% of the money goes to Ukraine
Your donations are used in full for the purpose stated in the campaigns.
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The costs associated with the campaigns are financed from t-shirt sales.
The gift for Putin was initiated in 2022 as a project to support the defense of Ukraine. In 2023, we became an independent non-profit organization. Supporting Ukraine’s defense, we collaborated with the Embassy of Ukraine in Prague to send equipment worth over 1 billion CZK, and we will continue doing so until Ukraine is free and safe again.
How is this legal?
The Czech Republic (where our fund was established) is one of the few countries where it is not only legal, but explicitly supported by law, for non-profit organizations to raise funds for weapons and military supplies for the Ukrainian army.
How do I get confirmation of my donation?
Select any campaign and if you leave the “I need a donation receipt” option checked, a form will automatically appear where you can enter all the necessary information. Once you complete the payment, the confirmation will be sent to your email automatically. For card payments it’s immediate, for bank transfers it may take a few days.
What about the e‑shop?
From the e‑shop profit (about two thirds of the price) we will pay production, storage and distribution; part of the proceeds will be used to run the fund and the remainder will be invested in weapons for the Ukrainian army.
Will you really buy the exact thing I'm funding?
Yes, that is correct. When you contribute to a specific campaign—like Tomáš the Tank or the Viktor air defense system—your funds are used solely for that specific purpose. While we occasionally purchase equipment while fundraising is still ongoing, it typically happens once the campaign finishes.
The time between the campaign's conclusion and delivery to Ukraine can vary from days to months. The defense industry is complicated, but we keep everyone informed about the entire process on Twitter and through media outlets.
About this project
The Weapons to Ukraine Fund is an international initiative providing military equipment to Ukraine. simply select an active campaign and donate to help reach its goal. As soon as the target is met, we purchase the exact equipment described. You always know exactly what you are funding, and 100% of all donations go directly toward purchasing the listed gear.
