The fully funded Czech howitzer campaign will deliver six D-30s to Ukraine’s front line. Though organizers initially announced they were nearing their goal, current donation totals confirm that the €2.4 million target has now been reached.

Donors complete €2.4 million fundraiser for Ukraine-bound howitzers

The Czech volunteer campaign Dárek pro Putina (“A Gift for Putin”) earlier reported it was close to securing funds for six 122 mm D-30 howitzers.

“We have already raised funds for five howitzers! We are missing the last one,” the campaign said during the final stretch of the drive.

Now, according to publicly visible totals on the official donation platform, the group has fully met its €2.4 million objective.

Over 16,000 contributors donated to the effort. The weapons, already secured and available, are expected to be transferred promptly to the Ukrainian military with logistical support from the Embassy of Ukraine in Prague.

“This is almost a miracle given the current situation, as most weapons require months of waiting,” the fundraiser’s page reads.

The Soviet-designed D-30 (2A18) is a reliable platform with a maximum range of 15.4 km—or 21.9 km when using rocket-assisted projectiles. It can fire to 12 rounds per minute.

Not their first delivery

Militarnyi noted the same Czech campaign previously raised funds for a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter for Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, and eventually delivered it.

In earlier efforts, Dárek pro Putina also delivered 1,000 RPG-75M anti-tank rocket launchers after raising over €900,000 in under two months. The group has additionally provided 10 tons of explosives for a Ukrainian special police unit and continues to collect funds for FPV drones and gear for female military personnel.

The campaign’s updates and donation records can be tracked via their official website.

Argentina has uncovered a Russian intelligence operation working to spread pro-Kremlin disinformation and influence public opinion, Argentine presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni announced on June 18, citing the country's intelligence, according to AFP and Infobae.

The La Compania network, which is allegedly linked to the Russian government and the Kremlin's Project Lakhta, was led by Russian nationals Lev Konstantinovich Andriashvili and his wife Irina Yakovenko, who are both residents of Argentina, according to authorities.

The U.S. Treasury Department has previously accused the Project Lakhta, reportedly formerly overseen by late Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, of election interference in the United States and Europe.

Prigozhin led the Russian Wagner mercenary group that was deployed in some of the deadliest battles in Ukraine, like the siege of Bakhmut. The oligarch was killed in a plane crash under suspicious circumstances in August 2023, around two months after leading a brief armed rebellion against the Kremlin.

Andriashvili and Yakovenko are accused of receiving financial support to recruit local collaborators and run influence operations aimed at advancing Moscow's geopolitical interests.

Their objective was to "form a group loyal to Russian interests" to develop disinformation campaigns targeting the Argentine state, Adorni said at a press briefing.

The spokesperson added that the alleged operation included producing social media content, influencing NGOs and civil society groups, organizing focus groups with Argentine citizens, and gathering political intelligence.

"Argentina will not be subjected to the influence of any foreign power," Adorni said, noting that while some findings have been declassified, much of the investigation remains a state secret.

Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, there has been a significant uptick in Russian migration to Argentina, some of which officials fear could be linked to covert intelligence operations.

Authorities reportedly said these espionage activities are often facilitated by a 2009 bilateral agreement between Argentina and Russia allowing visa-free travel, a deal that remains in effect despite growing security concerns.

In response to the threat, Adorni announced the creation of a new Federal Investigations Department (DFI) within Argentina's Federal Police, modeled in part on the U.S. FBI. The agency will focus on countering organized crime, terrorism, and foreign espionage, with investigators trained in advanced techniques and bolstered by experts in law, psychology, and computer science.

’100 days of Russian manipulations’ — Ukraine blasts Moscow over disregarding US ceasefire effort

A hundred days since the U.S. and Ukraine agreed on a ceasefire, “Russia continues to choose war,” Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on June 19, urging international pressure to push Moscow toward peace.

The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek