KYIV, Ukraine – When Kristian Boris came up with the idea for “Saint Javelin,” he never imagined the online joke would become such a huge, global movement.

“I put the first stickers up for sale on February 16, 2022,” he says. “The Russians had been massing troops on the Ukrainian border for months, and I felt like war was coming. I wanted to raise some money for Ukraine, so I decided to sell some stickers based on a meme my friend had made.”

The image Boris is referring to is an icon similar to an Orthodox religious painting; but instead of the baby Jesus, the Virgin Mary is holding a Javelin anti-tank missile launcher, the same weapon that the United States has donated to Ukraine in large quantities.

Boris didn’t expect much: “I thought I wouldn’t sell more than a few dozen stickers.” But he sold $1,000 on the first day, and by the second day, that number had jumped to $5,000. Within a month, the Saint Javelin online store had expanded to dozens of designs and apparel, and a short time later, one of the T-shirts reached Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“When I went to Kiev and Bucha in April 2022, I gave two shirts to the then Defense Minister, Alexei Reznikov, one for himself and one for Zelensky,” he recalls. “I never thought it would reach the president, but a few hours later I received a message saying, ‘The president has taken your shirt.’ It was completely unreal to me.”

Boris, a Canadian journalist of Ukrainian descent who lived and worked in Ukraine from 2014 to 2018, developed the brand after returning to Toronto. “I always remembered the mothers of soldiers who had been killed since 2014,” he says. “With the start of the Russian invasion, I knew that ordinary Ukrainians needed help.”

Today, Saint Javelin has raised more than $2.5 million to support Ukraine. All products – from T-shirts and hoodies to heavy backpacks – are now produced in factories in Ukraine. The brand has become so ubiquitous that its images can be seen on city walls, on soldiers’ uniforms, and even in the form of a huge mural in Kyiv.

The brand’s donations have been allocated to various areas, from the purchase of military equipment to civilian assistance. The Ukrainian World Congress in Toronto also played a role in setting priorities and was the first organization to donate armored vehicles to Ukraine.

Boris’s team now has eight full-time employees, most of whom are in Ukraine. “I used to wear a Saint Javelin shirt myself. I’m honored to join this project, because such brands are very important these days,” says team member Nikita Batovsky.

Canada has the second largest Ukrainian immigrant population in the world, which has strengthened the bond between the two countries. However, according to surveys, 70 percent of Saint Javelin customers have no connection to Ukraine and buy only to support the country.

“It’s encouraging for us to see this support,” says Batovsky. “It’s very valuable for us that people in the world who have nothing to do with Ukraine can be indifferent but decide to help.”

Boris concludes by emphasizing that the brand will continue its path even after the war: “I want Saint Javelin to become a brand like Patagonia, producing outdoor products. Ukraine is one of the most affected countries in the world and it will need a lot of help. We have been with them for more than three years and we are not going anywhere.”

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