U.S. President Donald Trump in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House April 22, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump had a busy weekend, undermining sanctions against Russia, blaming Ukraine for the war Russia started – again – and insisting that Russian refineries become drone-free zones.
“We said you can do whatever you want to Russia, don’t hit the refineries, because it’s a global problem that’s causing this,” Trump said on October 10.
“And (President Volodymyr Zelensky) wants to create problems in the world, he wants to create problems for our farmers, for our ranchers, with diesel fuel. (…) We have a global problem, and the problem is caused by the lack of refineries for diesel fuel. So what is he doing? He is going to hit the refineries,” he added.
Trump failed to mention the considerable evidence that shows America’s war on Iran, which he started and cannot finish, is primarily responsible for the current diesel shortage.
The Kyiv Independent has since learned that the Trump administration threatened senior Ukrainian military and government officials in an effort to protect Russian oil refineries, despite Moscow’s continued bombing of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Trump’s latest pressure on Ukraine to end the war Russia started and refuses to stop has angered citizens both at home and abroad, even sparking a bipartisan backlash in the US Congress over his decision to ease sanctions on Russian diesel.
On social media, some wondered how they could help Ukraine continue to strike Russia.
There are several ways to help fund Ukraine’s drones, and even a few options depending on what they strike.
The Unmanned Systems Forces (USF), Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), and Military Intelligence (HUR) have all carried out long-range strikes against targets in Russia, including oil infrastructure.
USF does not have a dedicated fundraiser but is supported by donations from United24 and the Come Back Alive Foundation. But there is a specific branch of USF that one can donate to directly.
Here’s that and a few more.
The 1st Separate Unmanned Aerial Systems Center was Ukraine’s first experimental unmanned aerial systems (UAS) unit, founded in 2022, originally as the 14th Separate UAS Regiment. It has since become the largest UAS unit, specializing in long-range strikes against Russia.
“We are the ones who reject war on enemy territory,” striking Russia’s military-industrial complex, oil industry and logistics facilities, the unit says on its website. Over the years, it struck several Russian airfields, artillery arsenals and ammunition depots. In 2025, the unit successfully carried out more than 50 operations against Russian oil infrastructure, such as strikes on refineries in Ryazan, Volgograd and Saratov, inflicting a 38% loss on Russian oil refining capacity, the unit says.
Aside from long-range drone strikes on Russian territory, several organizations support medium-range strikes on Russian targets in occupied Ukraine, as well as first-person view (FPV) drones for use on the front lines.
Founded by Dimko and Iryna Zhluktenko and named after their now legendary dog, Dzyga’s Paw is a Ukrainian charity that equips frontline soldiers with the technology and equipment they need to continue the fight day in and day out.
Since February 2022, they have raised more than $6 million from thousands of donors in more than 70 countries and delivered drones, Starlinks, night vision systems and other high-tech equipment directly to more than 100 military units.
Come Back Alive is an independent foundation that began equipping Ukrainian soldiers with body armor in 2014, writing “come back alive” on each of their vests. Today it is one of the largest suppliers of equipment to the Ukrainian military on all front lines, having supplied the army with more than 157,000 FPV drones, more than 14,000 units of thermal imaging optics, more than 5,400 units of infantry weapons, 2,400 pickup trucks, more than 100 unmanned reconnaissance systems, a complex of Bayraktar attack drones TB2, and much more, according to its website.
In addition to providing equipment, the organization’s instructors also train highly qualified military specialists, including sappers, snipers, divers, electronic warfare specialists, and drone and UGV operators.
As part of these efforts, Come Back Alive is currently raising funds for the Yatagan UAV Operators School, which it launched in partnership with PrivatBank in 2024 within the Ground Forces structures. Over the past two years, the school has already trained thousands of Ukrainian military personnel.
The Sternenko Community Foundation is the charitable organization of famous Ukrainian activist Serhii Sternenko and has become the largest non-governmental supplier of FPV drones to the Ukrainian military. According to its website, the foundation had purchased nearly 300,000 FPV drones for the Ukrainian army as of mid-October.
In its current fundraiser “Rusoriz Digital,” the foundation seeks to scale FPV drones using a digital link, allowing them to operate at ranges greater than 50 kilometers (31 miles) and more resilient to electronic warfare measures. To date, the foundation has already provided this technology to more than 50 units and acquired more than 10,000 of these drones, intended for use against Russian logistics behind the front lines.
Unite with Ukraine is led by the Ukrainian World Congress, an NGO established in 1967 and recognized by the UN and the Council of Europe to represent Ukrainian diaspora communities around the world.
In collaboration with its partner organizations “Saint Javelin” and “Le Dernier Capitaliste”, it is raising funds for medium-range fixed-wing attack drones in support of the various brigades.
The International Unity Movement is a Ukrainian charitable foundation established in 2022, which aims to raise funds to address the security challenges Ukrainians face throughout the war in Russia.
As part of their work, they support the 423rd separate unmanned systems regiment “Scythian Griffons”, which carries out combat operations and medium-range drone strikes on the Zaporizhzhia sector. Since its creation in 2024, the unit has destroyed hundreds of Russian vehicles, drones and artillery systems, as well as dozens of tanks and warehouses.
United24 is the official fundraising platform of the Ukrainian government, created by Zelensky shortly after the launch of the full-scale Russian invasion.
Donors can support a wide range of areas, including drones, defense, medical aid, mine clearance, reconstruction, education and sports.
The Serhiy Prytula Charitable Foundation was founded in 2020 and shifted much of its work towards supporting the military after Russia’s full-scale invasion.
It provides frontline units with drones, vehicles, communications equipment, electronic warfare systems, optics and medical supplies, while also conducting humanitarian programs in support of war-affected civilians.
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