A Collective Movement Backing Ukraine’s War Effort

Introduction (by DanieleB)

In the midst of Ukraine’s ongoing war, a powerful grassroots movement has emerged, uniting citizens from across the country under the banner “Money for the ZSU” (Ukrainian Armed Forces). What began as a small protest in Kyiv sparked by a travel agent-turned-activist named Iulia, has grown into a national movement demanding that local governments redirect funds from unnecessary projects to support the defense of Ukraine. This movement, driven largely by women like Iulia and countless other volunteers, has successfully mobilized thousands of citizens and secured billions of Hryvnia for military support. It stands as a testament to the power of collective action, demonstrating that even in times of great crisis, ordinary people can engender meaningful change.

What follows is the story, told by Dasha Mayer, of a Ukrainian woman who closely followed the protests from their very beginning.

The protest (By Dasha Mayer)

These lengthy and widely acclaimed protests, ongoing for more than a year in Ukraine under the slogan “Money for the ZSU” , were sparked by a little known girl named Iulia. Before 2022, the petite Iulia was a travel agent, photographer, and the owner of a clothing store. Today, like many Ukrainian women, Iulia has become an activist, volunteer, and founder of a drone piloting school.

I witnessed the birth of this movement closely. I was present at the very first protests, and my sister unknowingly played an important role in it all. I have always known that public opinion and pressure matter; I’ve seen it many times in Ukraine. Change can start with just one person, as long as people come together and refuse to give up.

It all began with a small photo shoot, with the participants wearing traditional Ukrainian attire, organized by Iulia, in which my sister participated. Iulia brought traditional outfits to the set, some of which were around a century old. The women involved didn’t know each other personally, but they were united by a shared pain and they spoke about what is now the main topic everywhere across the country: the war. Angry at the recent decisions of Kyiv’s city administration, from topics such as roadworks and other unnecessary contracts, my sister said, “This isn’t right, something needs to be done, we need to take to the streets in front of city hall.” Iulia looked at her for a moment and asked, “Would you take to the streets?” “I would!” my sister replied.

On September 11 2023, Iulia published a post on her blog entitled, “I don’t want new roads, I want more drones for our defenders! If you also want Kyiv’s city hall to spend our taxes to help the army, join me on Saturday, September 16th, outside Kyiv City Hall at 09:00.” The message spread quickly, and people shared it with friends, family, and acquaintances. Two weeks later, on September 15th, the first protesters with signs like “Our taxes for drones!” were already outside Kyiv City Hall. My personal sign read: “Donate as if your relatives were on the front line, not mine!” I saw my message gain traction and spread throughout Ukraine. The movement was called “Money for the ZSU.”

Although the initiative was shared only on social media by a few people initially, on the first Saturday our numbers had swelled. However, the City Hall were largely unresponsive to the rally: as a result, Iulia decided that the protest would be held again, every following Saturday.

(Video post of the September 16th protest: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CxPy3u8ozVx/?igsh=MWRmZGJocWQ1NWl6dA== )

On Saturday, the 23rd, the number of people attending had swelled further, and, accompanied by a microphone and a speaker, were louder. That day, a representative from City Hall came down to speak with us, and we realized we needed a team of informed people capable of officially representing the movement. That’s how the original organizing group was formed. News of the protests began to spread, were shared on social media and local news pages. On the third Saturday, several local activists, soldiers, and veterans joined us. Large signs along the street read, “Money for the ZSU, if you agree, honk your horn!” We made a lot of noise, and several passersby joined us. We sang the Ukrainian national anthem together, shouted “Shame” at City Hall, and “More drones, less waste!”

From the fourth Saturday, Iulia handed over the management of the protests to more experienced activists and created an Instagram page. Posts and hashtags began in earnest, and the protest spread to Vinnytsia, where two people with the same signs took to the streets, sparking protests there as well.

The movement grew like wildfire. Other cities joined us: Dnipro, Odesa, Lviv, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv. Every Saturday, instead of resting after a week of work and nights filled with alarms, people got up and went to City Hall. This continued for eight straight months. It was then that we saw the first results begin to arrive.
On November 28, the protesters organised a protest march with signs and a long Ukrainian flag through central Kyiv. Small victories turned into big ones, and we felt our power growing. We were numerous, and, despite the difficulties, we were being heard. Feeling like you have the power to decide and change is the most beautiful feeling a citizen can experience.

In eight months, no one denied us the right to protest. There were no clashes or violence with law enforcement. The police were always present, monitoring the situation without intervening, in a manner befitting any democratic country.

Some people said our demands were unfeasible, that it was impossible for city funds to be spent on defence, that we were ‘being paid by someone’, and that the protest was against Klychko. But we didn’t care. We said: “We have no political preferences. Protests are happening all over the country and are not limited to one region alone. In Zhytomyr, a percentage of the funds already goes to the army, so this can be done in Kyiv as well.”

Here’s what we achieved in Kyiv:

– 16.09.2023 – 16.02.2024: 3.33 billion Hryvnia for the Ukrainian Armed Forces

– 03.10.2023: 1.26 billion Hryvnia for the “Kyiv Defender” program

– 26.10.2023: 980 million Hryvnia for the Ministry of Defense, allocated to the Marines

– 26.10.2023: 100 million Hryvnia for DFTG units participating in military operations

– 26.10.2023: 100 million Hryvnia for the National Guard

– 23.11.2023: 300 million Hryvnia for the “Kyiv Defender” program

– 08.12.2023: 60 million Hryvnia for a one-time payment of 30,000 Hryvnia to Kyiv residents who join the Ukrainian Armed Forces from 01.12.2023 until the end of 2024

– 14.12.2023: 581 million Hryvnia for the “Kyiv Defender” program

– 1 billion Hryvnia in additional support for the Armed Forces in 2024

Total Kyiv City funds allocated for defence = 7.711 billion Hryvnia, which equals approximately 169,957,660 euros (at today’s exchange rate, 7.10.2024).

Another city where protests have continued to this day and achieved great results is Dnipro.

In 9 months of protests, local activists obtained 398 million Hryvnia from the Dnipro City Council for the Armed Forces, triple the amount the city had initially allocated. They also demanded and obtained the cancellation of overpriced unnecessary expenses, saving 268 million Hryvnia of city funds in the process. These protests are also important to demonstrate citizens’ support for the Armed Forces, not just in words but with commitment and concrete actions.

Activists across all cities continue to pressure local governments to ensure maximum transparency in the use of funds allocated to the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the proper functioning of support programs.