It's not just Ukraine's government equipping its soldiers. Hundreds of thousands of civilians who fear for the lives of their relatives on the front lines are scraping together their savings to send weapons or protective material to their loved ones.

Some independently buy military gear online, while others donate to crowdfunding charities like Povernys Zhyvym and Prytula, which together have collected more than $150 million.

"Civilians understand that if you don't support the Ukrainian army, tomorrow you will lose your house. Because Russians will destroy it," Serhiy Prytula, founder of Prytula, said. "That's why we have been very united in the last four and a half months."

CGTN accompanied his volunteers to a warehouse at a secret location in Kyiv where large piles of bullet-proof vests are being dispatched to the Eastern and Southern front lines. 

"In April and May, half of the soldiers received their body armor from civilians," Prytula told our correspondent.

This rapid and unofficial support means soldier Mustang - currently on leave in Kyiv - can collect his new equipment in person before returning to the front lines. 

"In the field, where we are situated in the trenches, the walkie-talkie sometimes stops working, so we need more of them," he said. 

The 48-year-old is deployed in Donetsk and received several observation and communication devices from the volunteers. "It's a very big thank you to the civilians who help us," he added.

The Prytula volunteers deliver items like vehicles, thermal imagers and combat drones. One of them is Nataliia Grynko who has spent almost every day at the non-government organization's (NGO) headquarters, since the beginning of the full-scale war.

"I'm doing it to make an input to our victory and to save more lives and for our soldiers - our warriors - to be more protected and to be more successful in their missions," said the 33-year-old, originally from Kharkiv. 

According to the NGOs, their purchased gear represents only 2 percent of Ukraine's total military budget. Civilian support is nevertheless essential, says Prytula. In just three days, he collected $20 million - enough money to buy four Bayraktar combat drones. 

For a nation defending itself against one of the world's largest armies, that's no small matter.