"How can I reach you? There are strategies that can change the course of war that I cannot explain openly; and you should convey them to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the military," Emre Akkaya, a Turkish Twitter user told the Ukrainian Embassy on the platform, only to be mocked on social media initially.
"Please reach out to me. I called every consulate," he said in frustration as Russia’s ruthless invasion continues against fierce resistance by the Ukrainian military and ordinary citizens alike.
As everybody was left scratching their heads over whether Akkaya, who apparently had no military background, was serious or not, the user could not resist the pressure from Twitter users to reveal his secret formula for a more powerful warfare strategy: use of ordinary, non-military drones, or “basic” drones, as he called it.
“They can arm basic drones with hand grenades or Molotov cocktails and use them as kamikaze,” he said, referring to the aerial “suicide attack” method first employed by Japanese military during the World War II.
“There are hundreds if not thousands of drones on sale,” he said, implying that such cheap gadgets can also be used instead of military-grade drones that sell for exorbitant prices, at a time that Ukraine is in dire need of any help.
As Turkish social media was full of users making fun of Akkaya, the most surprising response came from Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense.
"Do you own a drone? Give it to experienced pilots to use," the ministry said in a Facebook post in which it called upon Ukrainian drone owners to hand over their devices for use by the military.
It is not clear whether the Ukrainian authorities got the idea from Akkaya, but he surely became famous for his genius idea overnight, as the people who mocked him initially on Twitter began to apologetically praise him.
Aid from ordinary Turkish citizens has also been flocking to the Ukrainian Embassy in Ankara, as the mission issued messages of gratitude for the many basic necessities such as food, diapers, first aid kits and other amenities sent there.
The embassy also opened bank accounts for Turkish citizens to help the war-torn nation, as over 150,000 liras ($10,850) was collected in a day or two.
