Customized LEGO of president Zelenskyy, molotov cocktails being sold to raise funds for Ukraine

A LEGO store in Chicago has created custom-designed LEGOs with the likeness of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Citizen Brick, the store, has also created Molotov cocktails LEGOs and is selling both to raise money for a charity that provides medical aid to Ukraine and other nearby countries affected by Russia's attack on Ukraine. Citizen Brick specializes in making customized LEGO pieces that aren't made by LEGO, reported Vice News. The store is known for its minifigs and the latest one from the store aims to stand in solidarity with Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has won plaudits across Europe for standing up to Putin and leading the country during the crisis. Citizen Brick also chose to design Molotov cocktails LEGOs which have become a symbol of the resistance of the Ukrainian people against Russian troops.

Citizen Brick is known for making minifigs that have considerable demand but don't exactly match with LEGOs brand. Customized LEGOs of characters from "Squid game," "The Shining" and "Carrie" are some of the works from the store. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's minifig is priced at $100 while you can get the customized Molotov Cocktail LEGO for $10. “In light of the recent invasion of Ukraine by the Russian military, Citizen Brick has decided to raise donations to help Ukrainian refugees. During tomorrow's sale, shoppers will have a chance to purchase these two custom items—the Molotov Cocktail ($10), and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy minifig ($100). Supplies will be very limited,” said Citizen Brick in a Facebook post while announcing the sale. “100% of the sale of these items will go to @directrelief to assist with their efforts to bring medical supplies to the people of Ukraine.”

Direct Relief is a charity that provides humanitarian and disaster relief to countries around the world. The charity has partnered with the Ministry of Health in Kyiv in the wake of the Russian attack to help fund medical supplies to Ukraine and the nearby countries. Citizen Brick noted that it raised $16,540 from the sale of the customized LEGOs on the site and another $170 via the donate button on Facebook. The overwhelming demand for the product has seen the store ramp up production for the same in the hope of raising more money. “We're scrambling to make another batch since this got picked up on the Ukrainian Instagram page,” said Joe Trupia, Citizen Brick’s owner. "As you may have noticed, the minifigs sold out almost immediately. We made as many as possible in a frantic 24 hrs, with the CB crew coming in on their day off to print. We know there were some folks who tried to get one and couldn't. We hope they'll consider making a direct donation to a relevant charity nonetheless," read a post by the store.  "Please be patient as we try to get everyone's order out this week."

People and charities from all over the world have been trying to raise money to support Ukrainians during the war. Children in the UK raised money by selling homemade chocolates, sponsoring haircuts, and more through the charity "Save the Children," reported The Guardian. The charity said the children raised “unprecedented amounts” since the start of the war, at an average of £1,400 per young fundraiser. “I’m still surprised at the impact we’ve made,” said Evie, a 13-year-old girl. “Children are definitely more powerful than we’re credited for. I’ve noticed a lot of people have said about how young we are when they hear about what we’re doing – in fact, most people have. Us being young and raising money to help other children who are in need seems to have a very emotional effect on people, and if that isn’t powerful then I’m not sure what is.” 

Russia's attack on Ukraine is a developing story, and we’ll update as we learn more. Information is swiftly changing and Upworthy is committed to providing the most recent and verified updates in our articles and reportage. However, considering the frequency in developments, some of the information/data in this article may have changed since the time of publication.

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