Zelensky’s wool jacket, autographed by him, was auctioned at the fundraiser for £90,000 or approximately INR 85 lakhs. As he was walking through the streets of Kyiv, Zelensky’s jacket was waved while Russian troops were about to attack the city.
The Ukrainian Embassy in the United Kingdom noted in a video posted on its official Twitter handle, “When the war began, the world could not believe that Ukraine and its government would last more than three days, but it did. ” It said, “Today, the whole world looks up to a man wearing a simple woolen jacket. And now the iconic item personally signed by President Zelensky is here.”
The one and only @ZelenskyyUa among the lots was wool. It’s £90k https://t.co/Rmxmhp1aeg . was sold in
— Embassy of Ukraine in the UK (@UkrEmbLondon) 1651938537000
According to the embassy, the idea behind the fundraiser, titled “Brave Ukraine,” was to “tell the stories of (Ukraine’s) bravery that had become iconic during the war, as well as to raise funds to support this bravery.”
The fundraiser also included toys donated by Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska and iconic photographs by the late photographer Max Levin at the Tate Modern Art Gallery in London. USD 1 million or INR 7 crore was raised in the program to support humanitarian aid for Ukraine.
The embassy intends to use the funds raised for the re-equipment of the Western Ukrainian Special Pediatric Center.
British PM Boris Johnson, who also attended the fundraiser, called Zelensky “one of the most incredible leaders of modern times”. Johnson said the UK would continue to support the nation, saying “we will continue to intensify this effort for as long as Ukraine wants and needs our help.”