Stopify: taking matters into your own hands

Quad bikes that will be sent to Ukraine from Latvia through Stopify. Photo: Solveiga Kalva

The idea behind Stopify is quite simple – it offers the opportunity to subscribe to a monthly donation, starting from just under seven euros. It is a small and affordable amount, yet it can make a huge difference when multiplied by thousands. The donated funds are used to purchase essential equipment for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, helping to support the country in its fight for peace, freedom and justice.

How it all started

“When the war kicked off on February 24th 2022, it was a horrible feeling. I knew right away that I wanted to take action, but I felt so confused that nothing really constructive came to mind,” says Māris Upenieks, recalling the terrifying Thursday when we all learned just how fragile peace in Europe is. Having worked as an independent creative director for years, Upenieks’s first instinct was to do what he knows best – create visuals and send them to companies operating digital advertising screens in Riga, Latvia.

 “It took me just half an hour to create digital versions of the Ukrainian flag and send them out – hey, if you also think this is madness, maybe you can put these flags on your digital advertising screens!” By the afternoon of February 24th, the whole of Riga was flooded with yellow and blue, glowing from digital screens in a spontaneous show of support for Ukraine.

“Seeing such a dreadful injustice happening right in front of us in Europe, I couldn’t just stand aside and watch events unfold. It’s like walking down the street and seeing a hooligan brutally beating up someone weaker – how could I just walk by, go home, and watch a movie on my comfy sofa?” Upenieks explains his philosophy.

This was not the first time Upenieks had launched a digital civic initiative. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he created two series of fun and witty posters – “Stay Home” and “Get the Vaccine”. These also found their way to digital screens, online and print media, and social networks. “I’ve come to realize – if something big and unclear happens, my coping mechanism is to get involved and do something about it, instead of pretending everything is fine or hiding under the bed.”

From a creative mental exercise to a streaming service

Time flew by, but Russia’s atrocities in Ukraine continued. “It was already April or May, and I still had that lingering feeling – I have to come up with something!” remembers Upenieks. Whenever he has a bit of free time, he often turns to creative mental exercises – choosing a specific problem and spending a few hours thinking it through to find the best possible solution. “One fine afternoon, I decided to sit down with the task of figuring out how to help Ukraine.”

The internet was full of political posters and other visuals expressing support for Ukraine. “But there’s a problem with images – they communicate an opinion, but they don’t provide any real aid or support. And I realized there was no point in creating yet another visual. I started thinking – what actually helps? Who needs help the most? And then the gears in my head started turning,” Upenieks recalls. He concluded that those who need the most help are the ones fighting the enemy – the brave men and women risking their lives for their land and country: the Armed Forces of Ukraine. And the best way to support the army was by collecting donations.

“After the COVID-19 pandemic, streaming services like Netflix and Spotify became extremely popular. That led to the idea – what if, for the same small monthly fee, we could stream donations to Ukraine instead of endlessly watching movies and series?” Soon enough, Upenieks came up with a name: Stopify – stop the war.

“The concept was very clear to me, but I wasn’t sure how others would react, so I did something unusual. I posted the idea on my social media as a kind of public discussion. I encouraged my friends and followers to check it out and share their thoughts.” His experiment turned out to be a huge success. People responded, commented, and were ready to subscribe to such a service. It was time to get to work and bring Stopify to life.

The team of three and others

Upenieks reached out to two friends from the digital agency Cube – Mārcis Miķelsons-Germs and Miks Miķelsons. “As digital professionals, they know all the tricks for creating user-friendly websites. They thought for a minute and said – okay, let’s do this!” It was summer when the team of three began working on Stopify in their spare time. Asked why he chose Mārcis and Miks, Upenieks says: “I wouldn’t say they’re the type of fiercely patriotic Latvians who walk around with flag ribbons or have been in the National Guard since day one, but they’re the kind of guys who definitely care. Besides, they have vast experience in building websites and incorporating security solutions, which was very important in this case. Stopify was created with the awareness that certain unfriendly countries might try to attack the system.”

In the beginning, the three men had global ambitions – to make Stopify as international as possible without tying it to any country but Ukraine. The initial idea was to transfer the donated funds directly to the National Bank of Ukraine, which had set up a specific account for the army. “I tried to contact the bank, but amid the war, it was nearly impossible – no one replied. Through the Bank of Latvia, I found someone familiar with how the National Bank of Ukraine works. They said it wasn’t the best idea to transfer money directly and suggested we collaborate with United24 or other existing donation foundations instead. These organizations already had their own ways of communicating their mission to the world, and we didn’t want to mix it all up.”

Since Upenieks and his colleagues were not ready to establish their own charity organization, they realized they needed a trustworthy partner with experience in running donation campaigns. They chose Ziedot.lv, Latvia’s largest charity organization, which has operated since 2003 and provides a clear and transparent donation process for various causes and people in need. “Ziedot.lv already had experience with donations for Ukraine. By that time, they had sent several million euros to support Ukraine. They were happy that we also wanted to get involved and were looking for professional partners.” To understand what kind of gear the Armed Forces of Ukraine needed, Upenieks contacted the Embassy of Ukraine in Latvia, which had direct and trusted contacts within the army.

Stopify was launched on November 2nd 2022. “Our collaboration came together naturally. We, at Stopify, communicate with the world and provide the donation streaming platform. Ziedot.lv receives the donations in their bank account, purchases the necessary gear for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and handles the entire practical process. The Embassy of Ukraine in Latvia stays in touch with the army and gives us a monthly list of the specific gear they need,” Upenieks explains.

All three men behind Stopify work entirely for free. “Stopify is our civic initiative – we’re volunteers. It’s not our job,” Upenieks points out. It is also agreed with Ziedot.lv that none of the funds collected via Stopify will be used for staff salaries. Every cent except payment transaction fees goes directly toward the goal: supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine. To ensure the funds do not get lost along the way, the requested gear is purchased in Latvia and then sent to Ukraine.

Subscribing helps

The concept of a monthly donation is nothing new, but Stopify offers more than that. “We tried to promote the idea in an interesting, exciting, and memorable way. It gives the platform greater visibility, and people want to be associated with Stopify,” says Upenieks. Stopify visually resembles Netflix and other streaming services. On the website, visitors find visuals that look like movie posters, at least at first glance. Upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that these posters depict gear desperately needed by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. “Each visual features a hidden clever remark that also explains why that specific item is necessary.”

Upenieks admits that this model of monthly subscriptions works especially well in the long run. By the time Stopify was launched, the public in Latvia was already growing tired of the endless news from Ukraine. The headlines no longer changed – just more victims, more bombings, more atrocities. Local news began taking over the front pages, pushing Ukraine to the background. The flow of donations started to dwindle.

Stopify arrived at the right moment, offering people an easy way to stay involved. They could subscribe once and forget about it. “It seems people like this concept. They can stream donations for the same amount they’d spend on Netflix or a couple of coffees and continue living their lives knowing they’re doing something good for Ukraine,” Upenieks says. He believes that Stopify has managed to maintain a steady number of supporters – more than 10,200 – thanks to this model. Some people cancel their subscriptions, but others join in, so the average monthly donation remains stable.

Gear is shipped to Ukraine once per month. Before it is sent off, the Stopify team photographs it for social media. “This builds trust among our subscribers. We show them what we’ve bought with their donations, and we also share photos of Ukrainian soldiers standing next to the donated gear.” Sometimes, soldiers send short videos explaining how the gear has helped them, but more often they do not have time for that – they’re busy fighting. “We’ve heard stories that our vehicles have helped save the lives of wounded soldiers. News like that always warm our hearts. Whenever we receive these kinds of stories, we share them on social media,” assures Upenieks.

In just over two years Stopify has sent 195 drones; 21 large vehicles such as jeeps, vans and pickup trucks; 21 other vehicles such as quad bikes, boats and motorbikes; 237 night vision devices and thermal cameras; 178 portable generators; and over 2,500 other items including metal detectors, tactical boots and clothing, medical supplies and others. “We’ve also sent many tablets and TVs, and people often ask – why would the army need those? But they use tablets to control drones, and TVs are essential in command centres to monitor the battlefield on a large screen. These are the realities of modern warfare,” explains Upenieks.

Although Stopify supports the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the collected funds are not used for purchasing weapons or ammunition. Firstly, it is illegal for charity organizations in Latvia to do so. Secondly, it goes against the values of Stopify’s founders. “We want everyone to live peacefully – no bullying, no violence. We support freedom fighters with transportation, night vision, drones, generators, so they can defend Ukraine and fight back. But weapons or ammunition? That’s not our call to take such deadly decisions. That’s for governments and the military,” says Upenieks.

Stopify now has subscribers from 50 countries, mostly from Latvia, followed by the UK, Estonia, the US, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, France and Norway. Among the most surprising countries, Upenieks mentions Myanmar, Lesotho, Costa Rica and South Africa.

Upenieks believes that subscribing to Stopify is a way to take matters into your own hands and actively help Ukraine. “There’s no point in being a passive victim of events, watching the news and thinking the bad guys will take over the world. You can help to stop this horror show. You can do something about it,” Upenieks reminds us. Little things matter. Being an active citizen matters.

Solveiga Kaļva is a freelance writer from Riga, Latvia and a graduate of the Folkloristics and Applied Heritage Studies Masters Program at the University of Tartu, Estonia. She is interested in the ways people perceive places, their relationship with places and how a place can portray community and individuals and vice versa.

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