Sustainable Support for the Armed Forces
RIA.com
Cars for the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Problem
With the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Ukrainian defenders faced an acute shortage of vehicles. On the front line, cars operate in extreme conditions – constantly under fire, off-road, and often overloaded. Some are destroyed by the enemy, others break down after just a few missions. As a result, the demand for vehicles keeps growing.
For the army, a car is far more than a means of transportation. Vehicles ensure mobility for units, help carry out combat missions, deliver equipment, and evacuate the wounded. Without them, maintaining efficiency and safety on the front line is simply impossible.
This constant need for transport became the driving force behind the creation of the “Cars for the Armed Forces” initiative – a project designed to systematically support Ukrainian defenders with reliable vehicles.
Our first attempt was the launch of a dedicated “Cars for the Armed Forces” section on AUTO.RIA, where users could filter listings specifically for military needs. This helped structure requests and unite a community of caring people around the cause. However, experience quickly showed that an aggregator alone wasn’t enough. To ensure trust, transparency, and control over the entire process, we decided to build a fully functional fundraising project.
Solution
Finding the right model took several months. The team reviewed dozens of charitable foundations to find a partner that shared our principles of transparency and understood the technical aspects – vehicles and logistics. Eventually, we partnered with the “South of Ukraine” Charitable Foundation, which had a proven track record of cooperation with the military.
In parallel, the team developed a dedicated project page and implemented all necessary technical solutions to ensure a full operational cycle – from collecting donations to transferring vehicles. This allowed us to independently accept contributions, update fundraising progress in real time, publish reports, and officially hand over vehicles with all required legal documentation.
Results
The first fundraising campaign launched in March 2023 – to purchase a pickup truck for the 415th Battalion. We leveraged all internal company resources: holiday campaigns, internal promo tools, and special events with a charitable component. The result – over 270,000 UAH raised, enough to purchase a pickup for the military.
Since the launch of the “Cars for the Armed Forces” initiative in 2023, the company has delivered more than 35 vehicles of various types to the front line – from pickups to trucks. In total, we raised over 13 million UAH for vehicle purchases – 5+ million UAH from donors and 7+ million UAH contributed directly by the company.
The project became an example of an effective CSR model built on trust, transparency, and consistency. AUTO.RIA created its own fundraising mechanism, ensuring that every vehicle is officially transferred through a signed handover act.
We also introduced a donation-matching mechanism – every user’s contribution is doubled by the company. In addition, we launched our own line of charitable merchandise, with 100% of profits directed toward the project.
One of the most successful collaborations within the “Cars for the Armed Forces” initiative was a partnership with rapper Skofka and the ENKO music label. The artist’s team proposed joining forces with AUTO.RIA and making the fundraising effort part of the promotion for Skofka’s new song and music video. The idea worked: two real trucks featured in the video were the very ones being crowdfunded, giving listeners not just content – but a tangible goal to contribute to.
The mechanics combined online donations via AUTO.RIA with offline fundraising during Skofka’s tour. As a result, more than 3 million UAH were raised – enough to buy not only two trucks but also an additional pickup. It became a vivid example of how businesses, artists, and donors can unite as one team, making fast decisions and focusing on real impact.