Musicians Defend Ukraine

Musicians Defend Ukraine (MDU) is a Ukrainian charitable fund established in March 2022, immediately after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It was founded by a team of music industry professionals: Lesyk Drachuk (member of the band Tik Tu and founder of Shpytal Records studio), Anna Yevstihnieieva and Anton Pushkar (members of the band Love'n'Joy), and Yurii Bazaka and Kateryna Voichuk (founders of the cultural agency kontrabass promo). The fund's mission is to provide music industry professionals who are participating in the Russo-Ukrainian war with essential supplies, equipment, and support. Initially registered as a public organization called "Shpytal Kulturnyi" (Cultural Hospital), it was re-registered as "Musicians Defend Ukraine" in September 2022. The fund collects applications from music industry workers in need, conducts fundraising and partnership-building in Ukraine and abroad, procures and delivers items, equipment, and gear, and provides media support for concerts and other initiatives that support the fund. MDU's assistance covers a wide range of needs: tactical clothing, first-aid kits, helmets, body armor, drones (including FPV drones), vehicles and vehicle repairs, generators, charging stations, radios, communication equipment, laptops and tablets, food products, and more. According to the official website, the fund has provided numerous items, including 57 optical devices, 123 tourniquets, 74 first-aid kits, 63 drones, 182 FPV drones, 980 tactical medical supplies, 384 food products, 84 charging stations, 33 generators, 15 radios, 26 vehicle repairs, 118 radios, 161 communication devices, 82 rescue equipment, 49 laptops and tablets, 97 tires and trailers, 39 helmets, 37 body armor, 91 tactical knee pads, 21 tactical headsets, 27 tactical flashlights, 47 tactical gloves, 44 tactical footwear, 136 tactical clothing, 18 ballistic goggles, 10 respirators, 279 batteries and power banks, 605 tools, 60 heating panels, 16 coveralls, 10 drainage systems, 4 boats, 4 motors, 31 life jackets, and more. The website also reports funds raised for humanitarian needs ($28,917), drone support ($10,139 for 15 units), vehicle support ($19,255 for 22 units), and equipment repair ($29,506 for 38 pieces). The fund has received support from numerous Ukrainian artists and labels, including DakhaBrakha, Kurs Valüt, Los Colorados, Pyrih i Batih, Love'n'Joy, Anton Sliepakov and Andrii Sokolov, Slavalachia, Palindrom, The Unsleeping, and labels Worn Pop and Liky Pid Nohamy. In June 2022, the Lviv music festival "Sviato Muzyky u Lvovi" donated part of its proceeds to the fund. Ukrainian music and culture magazine "Potop" has been donating all sales revenue to the fund since the start of the invasion. Electronic musician Philipp Markovich released the project "Silence of Sirens" featuring air-raid siren sounds recorded in various regions of Ukraine, donating part of the proceeds from Bandcamp sales to the fund. MDU continues to operate as a charitable fund, raising funds and providing direct support to musicians and music industry workers defending Ukraine. It accepts donations via PayPal (Mdufound@gmail.com) and Visa/MasterCard (Ukraine).

Musicians Defend Ukraine was founded in March 2022, shortly after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The founding team consisted of Lesyk Drachuk (member of the band Tik Tu and founder of the Shpytal Records studio), Anna Yevstihnieieva and Anton Pushkar (members of the band Love'n'Joy), and Yurii Bazaka and Kateryna Voichuk (founders of the cultural agency kontrabass promo). The fund's goal was to provide everything necessary for musicians participating in the Russo-Ukrainian war. Initially, the fund was officially registered as a public organization called "Shpytal Kulturnyi" (Cultural Hospital). In September 2022, it was re-registered as the public organization "Musicians Defend Ukraine." From the outset, the fund appealed primarily to music industry workers abroad who understand the importance of preserving and supporting the music industry. In its first two months of operation, the fund raised more than 42,000 euros and provided many military supplies, from tactical clothing and first-aid kits to vehicles and thermal imagers. The fund has received support from numerous Ukrainian artists and labels. Performers such as DakhaBrakha, Kurs Valüt, Los Colorados, Pyrih i Batih, Love'n'Joy, Anton Sliepakov and Andrii Sokolov, Slavalachia, Palindrom, The Unsleeping, and others donated their earnings to the fund, as did labels Worn Pop and Liky Pid Nohamy. In June 2022, the Lviv music festival "Sviato Muzyky u Lvovi" donated part of its proceeds to the fund. The Ukrainian music and culture magazine "Potop" has been donating all sales revenue to the fund since the start of the Russian invasion in 2022. Electronic musician Philipp Markovich released the project "Silence of Sirens" with air-raid siren sounds recorded in various regions of Ukraine; he donated part of the proceeds from album sales on Bandcamp to the fund. As of the official website, the fund continues to collect applications from music industry professionals in need, conduct fundraising and partnerships in Ukraine and abroad, procure and deliver items, equipment, and gear, and provide media support for concerts and other initiatives. The website lists extensive aid provided, including tactical gear, medical supplies, drones, vehicles, generators, communication equipment, and more, along with specific fundraising totals for humanitarian needs, drone support, vehicle support, and equipment repair.

• 2022

  Fund founded by a team of music industry professionals after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

• 2022

  Re-registered as public organization 'Musicians Defend Ukraine' (previously 'Shpytal Kulturnyi').

• 2022

  Lviv music festival 'Sviato Muzyky u Lvovi' donated part of its proceeds to the fund.

Charitable fund providing direct support to music industry professionals serving in the Russo-Ukrainian war.

• 2021

  MDU fined over underground facility marking

  MDU was fined $7,500, with $2,500 suspended, for violating the “Call Before You Dig” law after a natural gas line was damaged nearly nine feet from the marked location. A commissioner said MDU admitted the marking was improper.

  Source

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• Unconfirmed

  MDU fined over underground facility marking[4]MDU fined over underground facility markingnews.prairiepublic.org

  Reported: 2021-08-20

  MDU was fined $7,500, with $2,500 suspended, for violating the “Call Before You Dig” law after a natural gas line was damaged nearly nine feet from the marked location. A commissioner said MDU admitted the marking was improper.

1. 1Musicians Defend Ukraine – благодійний фондmusiciansdefendukraine.com
2. 2Musicians Defend Ukraine – Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Musicians Defend Ukraine – Ukrainian Wikipediauk.wikipedia.org
4. 4MDU fined over underground facility markingnews.prairiepublic.org