Foreign military aid has been so crucial to Ukraine’s defense against Russia that a Ukrainian company is paying tribute with new products: plushie versions of weapons that break the backs of Russian forces.
Kopytsia, an online store founded in 1998 in Ukraine’s Chernihiv region, has released a line of “patriotic plush toys” to celebrate the country’s resistance to Russia and the aid it has received.
Toys on offer include cuddly versions of Bayraktar TB3s, the Turkish-made drones that have played a vital role in Ukraine’s defenses, and Javelins, the anti-tank weapons Ukraine uses to obliterate Russian tanks on the battlefield.
Also on offer is a miniature 20-inch version of the Mriya cargo plane, which was the heaviest aircraft ever built until it was destroyed in the battle for Antonov Airport outside Kyiv in the early days of the Russian invasion in February.
Maria Kopytsia, who runs the family business together with her father Anatoly, said the goal is to “maintain the patriotic spirit of our nation and support the Armed Forces of Ukraine”.
Ms. Kopytsia, who remained in Ukraine throughout the war, said the family launched the morale-boosting line of products in the first two weeks of the war, but heavy fighting in northern Ukraine, including in the Chernihiv region, made the delivery impossible to the capital and other big cities.
Prices range from $8 to $12 for each toy. Ms. Kopytsia said the sale of the toys will be used to pay her workers.
On Sunday, a photo posted by Ukrainian journalist Olga Tokariuk showing Ms Kopytsia’s toys for sale in a shop in western Ukraine went viral, and Ms Kopytsia says interest in them has skyrocketed – despite some criticism online that they risk militarizing Ukrainian children.
Ms Kopytsia said she was grateful for Western aid to Ukraine.
“If with their help we can protect our country and I can live in an independent Ukraine, then I’m all for it,” she said.