Grassroots funding for Ukraine's military declines as groups look for creative ways to raise money

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The concert took place in an old movie studio in Kyiv, the location kept secret until the final moment in case it was the target of a Russian attack.

More than 1,000 soldiers and young people gathered to listen to the artists who joined forces with a military brigade in an innovative effort to raise funds for Ukraine’s embattled troops.

This was the first and only live performance of the charity album “Epoch,” a collaboration between the 3rd Assault Brigade and eight Ukrainian bands.

The project’s ambitious target is to raise 50 million hryvnias (about $1.2 million) to buy an M113 armored personnel carrier to help get infantry to the front and evacuate the wounded for medical treatment. Since it launched on streaming platforms a month ago, the initiative has raised 9 million hryvnias (around $214,000).

Grassroots fundraising for Ukrainian fighters dates back to 2014, the year Russia first annexed the southern region of Crimea and Moscow-backed separatists launched an uprising in eastern Ukraine. At that time, Ukraine’s defense was made up of a regular army supported by volunteer battalions who weren't financially supported by Kyiv’s government. Self-funding was critical.

Now, advertisements pasted along the sidewalk in Kyiv ask for donations to help fill financial gaps across the military. By scanning a QR code, people can help buy anything from body warmers and drones to armored cars for soldiers defending the nearly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line.

But some charities are seeing a decline in individual donations in part because of the economic situation in the country.

Oleksandr Borodyn, one of the project's organizers, says the idea for the collaboration came from the challenge of continuing to drum up funds to support troops as the war is on the cusp of marking a three-year milestone.

“To raise the same amount of money as at the beginning of the war, you need much more effort. That’s why we came up with the idea that a musician could donate his or her art, and that art would earn money for the army,” said Borodyn, a press officer for the 3rd Assault Brigade.

The initiative comes as U.S. President Joe Biden is rushing out billions of dollars more in military aid before Washington's support for Kyiv’s defenses is thrown into question when Donald Trump takes office next month.

Monobank, one of the largest platforms to process donations, says that in the first 1,000 days of war, nearly 10.5 million unique users made donations totaling around 77 billion hryvnias (about $1.8 billion) to various fundraising organizations.

But some charity groups are finding that voluntary funding isn't what it was in the first year of the full-scale invasion. The Come Back Alive foundation supports troops with anything from military training to buying drones and electronic warfare to repel attacks. In the first year of the conflict, they raised more than 5.7 billion hryvnias ($184 million). So far in 2024, the figure is nearly 3.6 billion hryvnias ($89 million).

“Many people report a worsening financial situation, which limits their ability to contribute to supporting the military,” said Oleh Karpenko, deputy director of the Come Back Alive Foundation.

Three years of war has had a devastating impact on Ukraine’s economy. According to a World Bank report released in May, the number of Ukrainians living in poverty has grown by 1.8 million since 2020 to about 9 million, or 29% of the population.

To help the most vulnerable, the government launched a winter support program at the beginning of December and within days, around 6.5 million people had applied to receive the one off 1,000 hryvnia ($24) payment to help cover utilities, medical services and cellphone costs.

According to Karpenko, local initiatives and smaller-scale fundraising efforts mean many people direct their contributions toward helping specific soldiers or military units they know personally. That reduces the amount received by larger organizations, which he says can promptly address urgent battlefield needs that the government can't meet.

“International support also plays a significant role in donation levels," Karpenko said. "When aid from international partners decreases, it strongly demotivates Ukrainian society. People lose motivation to donate when they perceive a lack of willingness from partners to actively supply weapons.”

Staring up at the large monitors set up on either side of the stage in the form of the three diagonal line symbol of the 3rd Assault Brigade, 26-year-old Oksana Kalenchenko thinks that events like the concert are hugely important in continuing to generate support.

“It’s a reminder to somebody that there is a war going on in Ukraine, let’s keep donating, let’s keep doing everything we can,” Kalenchenko said.

The collaboration album features young artists from Ukraine’s rock, rap and alternative scene, and many of the lyrics reflect events and the reality of living through the conflict.

“We want to show the reflection of contemporary artists to the situation in Ukraine, and in general to Ukraine at war … That’s why the project is called ‘Epoch,’ because it is a transmission of the era we are living in,” Borodyn said.

What also unites all the songs is language. Since the start of the full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, Ukrainian music has experienced somewhat of a revival with many artists shunning the traditional Russian pop scene that dominated the post-Soviet era.

“People did not pay attention to Ukrainian music in such a large number,” says Iryna Panchuk, singer and songwriter for “Renie Cares,” one of the bands on the album. “This is separation, because this is what makes us different from Russia and this needs to be emphasized very strongly — emphasized and strengthened,” she added.

Alex Babenko contributed to this report.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Dmytro Odnorozhenko, solo singer of punk rock band Hatespeech sings during the presentation of the music album Epoch, a collaboration between Ukrainian artists and the 3rd Assault Brigade, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Alex Babenko)

People slam during the presentation of the music album Epoch, a collaboration between Ukrainian artists and the 3rd Assault Brigade, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Alex Babenko)

Ukrainian serviceman of 3rd Assault Brigade known by call sign "Avdei" performs together with rock band Proroky, during the presentation of the music album Epoch, a collaboration between Ukrainian artists and the 3rd Assault Brigade, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Alex Babenko)

Dmytro Odnorozhenko, solo singer of punk rock band Hatespeech sings during the presentation of the music album Epoch, a collaboration between Ukrainian artists and the 3rd Assault Brigade, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Alex Babenko)

Ukrainian serviceman dance during the presentation of the music album Epoch, a collaboration between Ukrainian artists and the 3rd Assault Brigade, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Alex Babenko)

Dmytro Odnorozhenko, singer of punk rock band Hatespeech sings during the presentation of the music album Epoch, a collaboration between Ukrainian artists and the 3rd Assault Brigade, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Alex Babenko)

The Crowd react during the performance of punk rock band Hatespeech during the presentation of the music album Epoch, a collaboration between Ukrainian artists and the 3rd Assault Brigade, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Alex Babenko)

Iryna Panchuk, solo singer of indie rock band Renie Cares sings during the presentation of the music album Epoch, a collaboration between Ukrainian artists and the 3rd Assault Brigade, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Alex Babenko)

Indie rock band Renie Cares performs during the presentation of the music album Epoch, a collaboration between Ukrainian artists and the 3rd Assault Brigade, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Alex Babenko)

The crowd reacts to the performance of rap band PVNCH during the presentation of the music album Epoch, a collaboration between Ukrainian artists and the 3rd Assault Brigade, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Alex Babenko)

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A powerful magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck just off the coast of Vanuatu on Tuesday, causing widespread destruction in the South Pacific island nation as the injured began arriving at a hospital and unconfirmed reports of casualties emerged.

A tsunami warning was called off less than two hours after the quake. With communications still down hours later and official information scarce, witness accounts of casualties began to surface on social media and through patchy phone calls.

The earthquake occurred at a depth of 57 kilometers (35 miles) and was centered 30 kilometers (18 miles) west of Port Vila, the largest city in Vanuatu, a group of 80 islands that is home to about 330,000 people. The jolt was followed by a magnitude 5.5 aftershock near the same location and the shudders continued throughout the afternoon and evening local time.

It was not immediately clear how much damage was caused as phone lines and government websites remained down. In first official information published on social media hours after the quake, the Geohazards Department said its monitoring systems were offline due to power outages.

Residents were urged to stay away from coastlines for at least 24 hours — and until tsunami and earthquake monitoring systems were operational once again. No confirmed reports of damage or casualties were provided but accounts detailing widespread destruction filtered out on social media and in interviews.

Dan McGarry, a journalist based in Port Vila, told The Associated Press he heard of one death in the quake from a police officer outside Vila Central Hospital. McGarry saw three people on gurneys “in obvious distress,” he said.

Doctors were working “as fast as they could” at a triage center outside the emergency ward, he added. But the nation is not equipped for a mass casualty event, McGarry said.

Video shared by the Vanuatu Broadcasting and Television Corporation showed crowds outside the hospital. Phone numbers for the police, the hospital and other public agencies did not connect.

Accounts of people trapped inside collapsed buildings could also not immediately be verified. A video posted on social media appeared to show crumpled buildings in Port Vila, including one that had collapsed onto cars. A Red Cross spokesperson in Fiji said the head of the aid agency's Vanuatu office had reported widespread damage before communications were cut off.

A building housing a number of diplomatic missions in Port Vila — including those of the United States, Britain, France and New Zealand — was significantly damaged, New Zealand's Foreign Ministry said. Officials were in the process of accounting for New Zealand High Commission staff, a spokesperson said.

The U.S. Embassy's Facebook page said its office was closed until further notice.

A video posted to social media showed the building with some damage to its structure, including buckled windows and debris that had crumbled from walls to the ground. Other photos and videos showed items and shelves that had tumbled to the floors of shops and landslides that appeared to block some roads.

Katie Greenwood, ​the Fiji-based head of the Asia-Pacific regional office for the Red Cross, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. that the downtown area of Port Vila was full of large buildings and hotels.

“We haven’t heard at the moment about any casualties, but I will be shocked if we don’t hear that bad news coming through from Port Vila at some point,” she said.

McGarry said a “massive landslide” at the international shipping terminal was likely to impede the country's recovery. The airport's runway is also damaged, he said.

Vanuatu's position on a subduction zone — where the Indo-Australia tectonic plate moves beneath the Pacific Plate — means earthquakes of greater than magnitude 6 are not uncommon and the country's buildings are intended to withstand quake damage.

“I think it could have been worse,” McGarry said. But this was the most serious he had experienced during 21 years in Vanuatu “by a long shot,” he said.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong told reporters that Australian High Commission staff were safe.

“We will provide whatever assistance is required,” she said. “I say to the people of Vanuatu, you are family and Australia is here to help.”

New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters said 45 New Zealanders were registered as being in Vanuatu. Peters said his government was “deeply concerned” about the situation there.

—-

Associated Press writer Rod McGuirk in Melbourne, Australia contributed to this report.

This image made from a video shows a landslide near an international shipping terminal in Port Vila, Vanuatu following a powerful earthquake Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (Dan McGarry via AP)

This image made from a video shows a landslide near an international shipping terminal in Port Vila, Vanuatu following a powerful earthquake Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (Dan McGarry via AP)