Updates

UFL's holidays were busy; UFL_Robin made another delivery to UFL_Arcaist in Germany and your support reached more front line Ukrainian units. We hope you all had a safe holiday season filled with love and warmth.

Also, the dreaded post-holiday slump has begun, which coincides perfectly (sarcasm most definitely intended) with a massive wave of new requests. In addition to the constant need for tacmed, powerbanks, generators, and communication equipment, several units have had vehicle losses...you get the picture.

This annual slump isn't specific to UFL, it affects everyone. In fact, UFL_Arcaist says that the Germans have a phrase for this (like they do for everything): "Saure Gurken Zeit" or "sour pickles time". As he describes it, "In Jan, after Christmas, no money, no great movement of anything at all, so you´re sitting at home, eating sour pickles from your stock, so no grocery costs and just watch trivial tv".

The 79th loves their generator, and this Marine from the 503rd Battalion (who didn't want his face obscured) appreciated the powerbank.

The 10th Brigade received their laptop and screen, and the 112th Brigade got a huge shipment of goodies.

This week:

$2 TACO Tuesday

This week's TACO Tuesday pack features a unit patch from the 66th Brigade, a beautiful challenge coin from the Armed Forces of Ukraine (Збройні сили України, ZSU), and possibly the world's most famous fridge magnet.

$5 pack

The signed flag for this week's $5 pack comes from the 31st Brigade and the eagle-eyed among you will recognize the patch as belonging to the 1st Tank Battalion of the 1st Tank Brigade (now the 1st Heavy Mechanized Brigade). I love that the Ukrainian warhorse is trampling the mutant vulture that represents the russian state.

In closing:

Last week a russian missle destroyed this building along Kharkiv's Sumska Street. Several people were killed, along with a man I knew, Oleksander. This man was representative of the Ukrainians I have grown to love; he was quiet, determined, not one to seek the spotlight, and an ardent defender of Ukraine.

All of us have lost people; I am nothing special. UFL_Arcaist has a heart-breaking number of chats with his friends and contacts that will never be finished. People send one last, ordinary message and are never heard from again. UFL_Robin coordinates with people across the world, trying to use UFL's funds to help those in greatest need in the most effective way possible, but always knowing that supporting one unit means denying another.

While western media (especially in the USA) ignores the war, this is the reality of life in Ukraine. Death may strike anyone, anywhere, any time. Suffering and difficulties are constant, unwanted companions.

And yet, they persevere. With your help, Ukrainian defenders don't break, they don't whine, and they don't stop believing in Ukraine. I am immensely enamored of the Ukrainian spirit and unbelievably thankful that there are people like you who continue to give so they have a future in which that spirit may one day soar free.

-Scott

Don't forget:

UFL has amazing art here if you haven't seen it yet!

And please note that although the event description mentions a livestream, there will be none. And while we do deeply appreciate those of you who choose to donate as well as buying raffle tickets, we want to make it clear that donations are not required to enter the raffle.

First 2026 UFL raffle!

The Ukrainians are still fighting and you are still supporting them - you should be proud of both.