Open letter to the NATO Secretary General
- Matthew Parish
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
By Edward Hirschfeld
Frontline Volunteer, Donetsk Region, Ukraine
Secretary General Mark Rutte
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Boulevard Léopold III/Leopold III-laan
B-1110 Brussels
Belgium
BY EMAIL: rutte.mark@hq.nato.int
Dear Secretary General Rutte
I am writing to ask for the NATO member states' assistance in the urgent defence of the Donetsk region, where I am based as a volunteer supporting the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Glide bombs are killing us. Give us what you already have
Every day, Russian KAB and FAB bombs slam into Ukrainian positions. Dropped from far behind enemy lines, they strike with terrifying precision. We get 5 to 15 seconds warning — if we're lucky.
And most of us have no protection.
This is not a call for high-tech. It’s a call for common sense
We don’t need billion-Euro air defence systems. We need the tools that already exist — gathering dust in NATO depots.
ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft cannons
ZSU-23-4 Shilka systems
Thermal optics & compact radar
What each NATO country can provide
Country | Available | What we ask |
Poland | ZU-23-2, Shilka | Release systems + parts + training support |
Bulgaria | ZU-23-2, Shilka | Donate reserve systems + tech documentation |
Romania | ZU-23-2, Shilka | Send inactive units for frontline mounting |
Czech Republic | ZU-23-2 (training stock) | Supply at least 100 units |
Slovakia | ZU-23-2 (older systems) | Help reactivate and ship |
Germany | Gepard systems (in storage) | Release more + unlock ammo via Switzerland |
Netherlands | Thales radars (Ground Master, SQUIRE, Flycatcher) | Donate radar + optics + training |
France | FLIR optics, tactical radars | Send targeting systems for frontline guns |
Lithuania/Latvia | ZU-23-2, Shilka (legacy stock) | Deploy to vulnerable frontline sectors |
UK/USA | FLIR, fire control, compact radars | Supply integration kits + crew training |
Norway | Kongsberg fire control systems | Pair with legacy weapons in Ukraine |
System Overview
System | Cost per Unit | Cost per Shot | Effectiveness vs Glide Bombs |
ZU-23-2 | ~€5,000 | ~€2 | Moderate — life-saving at close range |
ZSU-23-4 Shilka | ~€200,000 | ~€2.50 | High (with modern upgrades) |
Gepard | ~€1.75 million | ~€4,500 | Excellent — but rare and costly |
What we ask NATO to do:
Unlock your old systems – especially ZU-23-2s and Shilkas
Pair them with radar and thermal optics
Support local integration and training
Create a rapid frontline air defense network
"You already havae what we need. Please - let us use it. No more delays. No more silence. Every second counts."
Thank you for taking this letter into consideration.
Yours sincerely,
Edward Hirschfeld
Volunteer on the front line
Donetsk Region
Ukraine
A version of this letter appears at https://pitmaster4ukraine.com/Urgent_call_to_NATO.html.