Judging by my own experience in nine years of supporting Ukraine’s war effort, and based on feedback that we hear from you, the primary appeal of an organization like ours is that it provides a sense of direct connection between donor and recipient. If you donate money, you’re going to see photos of your purchase delivered or in use.
But you might not ever see the recipients’ faces.
Volunteer support is a significant factor in the Ukrainian military’s success and the soldiers know it. It’s common for them to send pictures like the above to the donors and volunteers who got them the equipment they requested. “Photo reports,” we call it. Personally, I feel rather yoogy about the expectation of photo reports–it feels a bit “sing for your supper” to me–but I’m told they’re glad to do it because it’s a way to say thanks.
Generous though they are with their photo reports, it’s still crucial to maintain opsec. No one wants to aid the enemy in identifying soldiers or their positions, so they obscure their faces and places by whatever means are the most expedient or–more often–the most fun in the moment.
So we get emojis over the faces …
Blurred faces ….
Faces removed entirely, which is effective but always gives me the creeps …
Fun with the Clone tool …
And sometimes whatever physical objects you have on hand.
I understand OpSec fully. Even moreso in a digital age, compared to a generation before (mine own) where a photo was not likely to get u or ur whole unit killed.
But I’m considering donating some big ticket items, like rifle optics-etc.
Q-would I be given the guarantee of an end user photo clearly depicting my donated item w/the soldier who recieved it (with an emoji on their face). Because I’ve already run into fraudulent scam “organizations” trying to steal what items they can for themselves, that should be going to the brave warfighters. Sad..but..so very true.
Michael, I am so sorry: somehow your comment got caught in our spam filter. I apologize for the ridiculous delay in responding.
I can give you a 95% guarantee that you would receive such a photo. Sometimes the soldiers simply can’t take the time, or don’t have signal. I understand if that isn’t sufficient for you.