Ukrainian soldiers raise money by writing custom notes on artillery shells for $40 before firing them at Russians

• A Ukrainian student has found an unusual way to raise money for the war against Russia.
• Ads on social media offer custom notes on artillery shells for $40. Insider verified the process is real.

A Ukrainian student is selling the opportunity to write custom messages on artillery shells which Ukrainian soldiers are firing at Russian troops.

Anton Sokolenko, a 22-year-old IT student based in Cherkasy, central Ukraine, told Insider he has raised thousands of dollars to support local troops through the $40-a-shell deal.

His ads, on social media platforms like Reddit, have resulted in messages like "Happy Father's Day" and "From Albania, with love" being written on shells before they are used.

"You have a chance to kill orcs with your text on 82mm artillery grenade that will be fired at Russian soldiers," reads one of Sokolenko's promotional posts. (Orc is a common Ukrainian insult for Russian soldiers.)

"You will receive a photo of your signed grenade."

Sokolenko told Insider that this is an informal arrangement and is not endorsed by senior Ukrainian military commanders. The images, he said, are unlikely to give away the soldiers' identities and locations.

Sokolenko said he takes orders online, especially via his Telegram channel, and works with a local NGO to get the shells inscribed. Then he sends the pictures back and passes the $40 to the NGO.

The NGO, "Center for Assistance to the Army, Veterans and Their Families," independently confirmed to Insider that Sokolenko is a registered volunteer who has sent it more than $18,000.

It provides tactical equipment and goods to nearby battalions.

Sokolenko said the money raised so far has bought two Starlink systems, a pickup truck, and a thermal sight. The NGO also provides radios, medicine, food, and sleeping bags.

"I'm not that brave to participate in the war, so I'm trying to do my best to help soldiers to stay alive and to kill enemies," he said. "At the beginning of the war I wasn't doing anything and it kept bugging me."

He made Molotov cocktails, as many Ukrainians did early in the war, but quickly decided he could be more useful elsewhere.

He decided to devote himself to fundraising instead, starting a Telegram channel that re-shared viral military videos, gaining himself around 12,000 followers in the process.

After gaining his first 1,600 followers, he approached the NGO and asked them what they needed to buy. He figured he could ask for donations and sell things like military patches and envelopes with the famous "Russian warship, go fuck yourself" postage stamps.

His second donation was $500, from an American woman, he said. That "made it clear that I was on the right track."

Then, in May, he got the idea for the messages-on-shells project, when he saw that soldiers were inscribing them with messages to avenge their fallen colleagues.

It has been popular with redditors, who've inscribed shells with their favorite memes — including one featuring the cutesy emoticon "uwu" beloved by anime fans.

Other orders have come in from around the world, sending "love" from countries like Belgium, Germany, Albania, and Australia. Others have seized on it as an unusual way to say "happy birthday" to their friends and loved ones. The approach of Father's Day brought in around 30 orders, Sokolenko said.

Asked about the ethics of the edgy project — which may be seen to make light of war casualties — Sokolenko said:

"It's a bit of a provocative question, but as a Ukrainian — as with every Ukrainian — I can say that I'm happy to know that as many Russian soldiers were killed as possible."