Ukrainian pilots launch 'Buy Me A Jet' campaign

businessinsider.com: The Ukrainian military has launched a crowdfunding campaign to fund the purchase of new fighter jets, say reports.

In a video showing destroyed Ukrainian military equipment and devastated homes and towns, a Ukrainian pilot looks into the camera and says, "buy me a fighter jet."

"He continues, "It will help me to protect my sky filled with Russian planes that bomb my land, kill my friends, and destroy our homes and everything I have ever known. "You have a chance to stop it. Give us wings to fight for our sky."

The website for the campaign states that Ukraine has been asking NATO to provide its military with fighter jets "since the beginning of the war" but says the "governments of the world are afraid of escalation."

The site also references the "humanitarian disaster" caused by Russia in Ukraine and the "growing threat of World War III."

The military is crowdfunding to purchase fighter jets, which the website states include SU-22, Su 25, Su 27, Su 24, Mig 29.

According to the crowdfunding site, the average cost of a jet is $25 million.

On February 28, just four days into the Russian invasion of Ukraine, several EU countries announced that they had agreed to supply the Ukrainian military with MiG-29 fighter jets. EU high representative for foreign affairs and security Josep Borrel said, "We are going to supply arms and even fighter jets."

However, this plan was blocked by the Biden administration, who cited concerns about how this would reflect on the NATO alliance, and if it would spark further tensions with Russia.

President Zelenskyy hit back at the USA for this decision, saying, "Listen: We have a war! We do not have time for all these signals. This is not ping pong! Do not shift the responsibility. Send us planes."

Ukraine's Air Force has 210 military aircraft including 98 combat aircraft, according to the Flight International 2022 World Air Forces database, per the Independent. Russia's air force has 3,863 aircraft, according to Flight International's database, per the Independent, and more than 1,400 combat planes than Ukraine.

Ukraine's request for crowdfunded jets comes as Russia's military prepares for the second phase of the war, targeting the country's east.