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Project · New solidarity · Czechs in Ukraine · N0032

Gift for Putin (Dárek pro Putina)

Подарунок для Путіна (Dárek pro Putina) · Dárek pro Putina · 2022–2026

Essence

Dárek pro Putina (Gift for Putin) is a Czech public fundraiser launched in spring 2022 by businessman Dalibor Dědek and now run by Nadační fond pro Ukrajinu (the Foundation for Ukraine). The money buys military and civilian equipment for Ukraine: the first large campaign was the modernised T-72 tank "Tomáš" (about CZK 30–33 million from roughly 11 thousand people in October 2022), followed by ammunition, drones, ambulances and a helicopter. Its website claims over CZK 1.6 billion from more than 562 thousand donors.

Timeline

  1. 5.2022Businessman Dalibor Dědek launched the Dárek pro Putina project (early May according to ČTK). [DPP01; DPP02]
  2. 9.2022The collection for a modernised T-72 tank was announced (early September according to ČTK). [DPP02]
  3. 3.10.2022The collection for the tank "Tomáš" reached CZK 30 million (about 11,000 donors); more than CZK 213 million had been passed to the Ukrainian embassy in total. [DPP02]
  4. 13.10.2022According to Radio Prague, about CZK 33 million from 11,288 people; a campaign for ammunition started. [DPP03]
  5. 2023The initiative became an independent non-profit (according to its own website). [DPP04]
  6. 8.2023According to Czech Wikipedia, over CZK 554 million had been collected. [DPP01]
  7. 8.2025The Black Hawk helicopter "Čestmír" (about CZK 73 million from ~21,000 donors) was handed to HUR intelligence (single source: Czech Wikipedia). [DPP01]
  8. 14.12.2025An anonymous donor gave the foundation CZK 100 million; the money supported 26 initiatives. [DPP05]

Full research text

Significance

Dárek pro Putina is one of the best-known Czech public fundraisers in support of Ukraine: people "buy" symbolic items and contribute to specific campaigns, while the foundation procures the equipment. [DPP01; DPP04] The organisers say they use humour so that people do not tire of the topic and keep donating. [DPP03]

Origins and mechanism

The project was launched in early May 2022 by businessman Dalibor Dědek; Martin Ondráček speaks on its behalf. [DPP01; DPP02] According to Radio Prague, Dědek wanted a no-fly zone over Ukraine; NATO did not agree, so he first donated CZK 50 million to the army account at the Ukrainian embassy and then took up the fundraiser. [DPP03] Radio Prague names Jan Polák as the group's spokesperson. [DPP03]

The mechanism according to ČTK and Wikipedia: donations go to the account of the Ukrainian embassy in Prague and the Czech Ministry of Defence buys military equipment from Czech manufacturers at the request of the Ukrainian army; donors receive no goods. [DPP01; DPP02] The legal form is a foundation fund (nadační fond); since 2023, according to its own website, it is an independent non-profit, Nadační fond pro Ukrajinu. [DPP01; DPP04]

Campaigns

Tank "Tomáš": the collection for a modernised T-72 was announced in early September 2022; on 3 October 2022 ČTK reported CZK 30 million from about 11,000 people, on 13 October Radio Prague about CZK 33 million from 11,288 people. [DPP02; DPP03] The Ukrainian side was consulted on the purchase and the Czech Ministry of Defence handles delivery. [DPP02] After the tank the organisers began a campaign for ammunition for the tank, the Dana and Zuzana howitzers and the Vampire rocket launcher. [DPP03]

Czech Wikipedia also mentions the Viktor campaign (air defence), field ambulances, tank ammunition, drones and rescuer training, and the Black Hawk helicopter "Čestmír" (about CZK 73 million from roughly 21,000 donors), handed to HUR intelligence in August 2025; these data rest on a single source. [DPP01] The fundraiser's website lists, among others, the campaigns Libuše (BM-21 rocket launcher, CZK 13.6 of 35 million), Oksana Forever (cars and ambulances, about CZK 54.7 of 55 million), Drony pro Ukrajinu (about CZK 54 million) and Munice pro Ukrajinu (about CZK 151.5 million from 87,555 donors). [DPP04]

On 14 December 2025 Deník.cz reported a gift of CZK 100 million from an anonymous donor, which the foundation distributed among 26 initiatives (special-purpose drones, anti-Shahed drones, plastic explosives, training aircraft, medical backpacks and others). [DPP05]

Scale

According to Czech Wikipedia, over CZK 554 million had been collected by August 2023. [DPP01] At the time of viewing, the fundraiser's website showed about CZK 1,607,550,471 from 562,480 donors in 53 collections, with an average gift of about CZK 4,339. [DPP04] The page also displayed a "test mode" banner, so these figures should be treated as indicative and checked before publication. [DPP04]

Discrepancies in sources

Price and proceeds of the tank collection: CZK 30 million (ČTK, 3 Oct 2022) versus CZK 33 million (Radio Prague, 13 Oct 2022) — they reflect different moments of the collection. The donor of CZK 100 million: Deník.cz calls him anonymous, Czech Wikipedia names the owner of Seznam.cz, so the dossier does not name a person. A "Vltava" boat is not confirmed by any source read. The totals of CZK 554 million (August 2023) and CZK 1.6 billion (website, undated, with a test-mode banner) refer to different dates. The foundation is called Nadační fond pro Ukrajinu on the website. [DPP01; DPP02; DPP03; DPP04; DPP05]

Sources

  1. DPP01 Czech Wikipedia, article "Dárek pro Putina": founding in 2022, founder Dalibor Dědek, foundation fund, mechanism (money goes to the Ukrainian embassy's account, the Czech Ministry of Defence buys equipment from Czech manufacturers), campaigns (T-72, Viktor, ambulances, Black Hawk helicopter Čestmír), over CZK 554 million by August 2023; Wikidata Q116815420. cs.wikipedia.org
  2. DPP02 Česká televize (ČT24, based on ČTK), 3 Oct 2022: the tank collection reached CZK 30 million, about 11,000 donors, the tank was named "Tomáš"; the project was started in May by Dalibor Dědek, Martin Ondráček speaks for it; over CZK 213 million already passed to the Ukrainian embassy. ct24.ceskatelevize.cz
  3. DPP03 Radio Prague International, 13 Oct 2022: the Dárek pro Putina group, founder Dědek, spokesperson Jan Polák; about CZK 33 million from 11,288 people; Dědek first donated CZK 50 million himself to the army account at the embassy; the "Feed Tomáš" campaign for ammunition. english.radio.cz
  4. DPP04 Official website darekproputina.cz: described as a collection site of Nadační fond pro Ukrajinu, started in 2022 as an initiative, an independent non-profit since 2023; totals (over CZK 1.6 billion from 562,480 donors, 53 collections), campaigns Libuše, Oksana Forever, drones, ammunition. When viewed, the page displayed a "test mode" banner. darekproputina.cz
  5. DPP05 Deník.cz, 14 Dec 2025: an anonymous donor gave Nadační fond pro Ukrajinu CZK 100 million; the money supported 26 initiatives (drones, training aircraft, medical backpacks and others); Martin Ondráček as the foundation's representative. denik.cz

Verification

Draft

Research draft with sources; independent check still pending.

How we verify: all steps

How we verify
  • DraftResearch draft with sources; independent check still pending.
  • Checked automaticallyQuotes mechanically matched to sources; an independent model found no contradictions.
  • Two sources (automatic score)Automatic evidence score: key facts rest on at least two independent sources. No person has yet read the whole dossier.
  • Confirmed by an editorAn editor confirmed the dossier; the reason is shown on the page. This is not an independent scholarly review.
  • Disputed pointsSources disagree; disputed points are marked in the text.

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