The American actor, who saw the work of Ukrainian deminers with his own eyes during visits to Kyiv and Chernihiv Oblasts, is raising $450,000 for a humanitarian demining vehicle. Among those who make a donation, Collins will raffle off an autographed trench coat and ties - the same as those worn by his character, Castiel, from the Supernatural TV series.
The Russian invasion has turned Ukraine into a huge minefield. About 156,000 km² - almost a fourth of the country's territory - needs to be examined and demined. This is an area the size of Belgium, Denmark and the Czech Republic combined, or the state of Georgia in the United States. Anti-tank and anti-personnel mines, booby traps, tripwires, cluster munitions and thousands of undetonated shells are found in the de-occupied territories after russian shelling. Deadly explosives can be hidden in household items, toys, houses, kindergartens, playgrounds, fields, forests and parks.
The multifunctional pyrotechnic vehicle, which Misha Collins is raising funds for, will help Ukrainian experts clear the land from mines and transport explosive objects and substances to an elimination point. The vehicle is armored and can easily move off-road. Its carrying capacity is more than 4000 kg, it has an armored cabin equipped with bulletproof glass, and the crew is protected from flying debris and explosive shockwaves via a shield.
“People ask me all the time, “What can we do to make a difference? Shouldn’t we just leave this to governments to help with?” But every dollar helps and the demining project in Ukraine is huge and hugely underfunded. Our donations to buy this demining vehicle will not end the war and it will not clear all of the mines in Ukraine, but it will clear many thousands of mines and unexploded ordinances and it will prevent hundreds, if not thousands of innocent Ukrainians, including women and children from losing limbs and lives. Even after the war is over this will remain a big problem, but small contributions will prevent untold suffering, so I’m asking everyone who can to contribute. And to entice you, in case you’re a fan of my old show, you could win a signed Castiel coat or tie.”
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With a donation of $24 or more, each donor will participate in a raffle of a trench coat and 5 ties - the style staples of the angel Castiel in the Supernatural series - signed by Misha Collins. The number of donations from any one person is unlimited. Join in: https://u24.gov.ua/collins_demining
About UNITED24
UNITED24 was launched by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the main platform for collecting charitable donations in support of Ukraine. More than $646,408,000 has been raised through donations from over 110 countries during 21 months of operation of the UNITED24 fundraising platform. UNITED24 ambassadors include singer and actress Barbra Streisand, actors Liev Schreiber, Mark Hamill, Mark Strong, Katheryn Winnick, Ivanna Sakhno. and Misha Collins, music band Imagine Dragons, Balenciaga art director Demna, film director Michel Hazanavicius, astronaut Scott Kelly, British adventurer Bear Grylls, historian Timothy Snyder, businessman Richard Branson, country singer Brad Paisley, philosopher and economist Francis Fukuyama, Chef José Andrés, Nobel laureates Paul Nurse, Edward Moser, and May-Britt Moser, as well as famous Ukrainian athletes, Andriy Shevchenko, Elina Svitolina, Oleksandr Usyk, and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
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