#UKRAINEinLEGObricks How Lego fans from all over the world are raising money for Ukraine
With colorful bricks against the Russian war of aggression. Hobbyists from all over the world have built Ukrainian landmarks out of Lego to raise money for the country. The creative buildings are being raffled off.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- The Golden Gate in Kiev and the Khan Palace in Crimea, among others, are now available as Lego sets.
- Lego hobbyists from all over the world are recreating Ukrainian landmarks to raise money for the country, which has been shaken by the Russian war of aggression.
- The idea came from the United24 initiative, which was launched by President Selensky himself.
The magnificent Khan Palace of Bakhchysaray is nominally located on the territory of Ukraine, but on the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula. The former seat of the rulers of the Khanate of Crimea, among others, is now available as a unique Lego set to raise money to alleviate the consequences of the Russian war of aggression for Ukraine.
Creative hobbyists from the USA and Germany, Poland and Ukraine have recreated Ukrainian monuments from Lego with great attention to detail, which are not commercially available but can be won in a prize draw. Anyone who donates at least 24 US dollars (around 21.6 million Swiss francs) to the United24 initiative can take part. The money will then be invested in the reconstruction of destroyed buildings or used for relief efforts in the grueling war against Russia.
The Lego Foundation donated 30 million dollars twice
In fact, the brick company itself has already made a commitment to Ukraine. One month after the start of the war, in March 2022, and again in September 2022, the Lego Foundation donated around 30 million dollars (around 27 million Swiss francs) for the reconstruction of schools and educational institutions as well as educational aid for Ukrainian refugees in other countries. Its competitor, Chicago-based toy manufacturer Citizen Brick, also had an idea: in March 2022, Citizen Brick released a specially made Selensky minifigure and raised 145,000 dollars for Ukraine.
The inspiration for the Lego sets from United24 - and from Lego Architecture, a series of sets for adults that recreate iconic landmarks - is said to have come precisely from these campaigns. "If the Eiffel Tower, the London Bridge and the Statue of Liberty are included, why not the Kiev Motherland statue?" United24 coordinator Yaroslava Gres told CNN.
In November 2023, the idea was realized with the first sets under the title #LEGOWITHUKRAINE, followed last month by further releases with #UKRAINEinLEGObricks: the Golden Gate in Kiev, the Khan Palace in Crimea, the Pidhirtsi Castle in the Lviv region, the National Academic Opera in Odessa and the Astronomical Observatory in Mykolaiv. All Lego buildings are available three times each, so donors have 15 chances to win.
All donors can choose which of the set raffles they would like to take part in and, according to Gres, which of United24's five goals they would like to support with their donation. The choices are defense, humanitarian demining, medical aid, reconstruction of Ukraine or education and science. All proceeds from the new sets will go towards the reconstruction of the Velykokostromska School, a kindergarten and elementary school in the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, where bombs fell in October 2022.
A month of work on the computer
American Lego artist Eric Law is one of the hard-working tinkerers who took on the Golden Gate in Kiev. "When I saw the Golden Gate, I thought it would be an interesting building to build, but after reading the story about it, I fell in love with the idea of building it," Law told CNN. It took a month to design the model digitally on the computer and a week to assemble the final set. Not easy: "The shape is full of bends and to get the shape right, I had to rebuild six times."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selensky himself launched United24 to generate more international aid through original campaigns. As part of the initiative, soccer matches, art exhibitions, music videos and celebrity ambassadors were used to draw attention to the situation in Ukraine and solicit donations. Even a virtual donation center in the online game Minecraft with a virtual replica of the Ukrainian Soledar salt mines was created - and Ukrainian landmarks made of Lego.
As Gres explained, the name United24 is derived from the initiative's goal of "providing aid for Ukraine around the clock". However, the number 24 is charged with more meaning for Ukrainians. The country's Independence Day is celebrated on August 24, and the war began on February 24, 2022, when Russian troops crossed the border.
Donations from 110 countries
Speaking to CNN, coordinator Gres said that over 650 million US dollars (around 587 million Swiss francs) had been raised in donations since the launch of United24 in May 2022, with donors from 110 countries providing financial aid. The money has enabled the reconstruction of five hospitals, 18 residential buildings and 24 bridges, as well as the purchase of 240 ambulances and 659 hospital generators. Donations also went towards defense systems against suicide drones and tens of thousands of Ukrainian drones, as well as the development of combat robots.
Corruption continues to be a major problem in Ukrainian politics, which is why United24 's fundraising is monitored by the auditing firm Deloitte. It offers its services free of charge.
According to World Bank estimates, the total damage to Ukraine's infrastructure and economy between February 2022 and December 2023 amounts to 152 billion dollars (around 137 billion Swiss francs). Ukraine needs almost 14 billion dollars (12.6 billion Swiss francs) for reconstruction, estimates Gres.