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In the latest news emerging out of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a report by TMZ has said that a Major League Baseball (MLB) signed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has gone up for auction in new York. The report further stated that the proceeds from the sale will be used for relief efforts in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Russian forces called in airstrikes on a besieged steel factory in the southern city of Mariupol to try to dislodge the last Ukrainian troops holding out in the strategic port, Ukrainian officials said Sunday, while President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would meet in Kyiv with two top American officials.
According to reports, the MLB is signed in black felt tip in a side panel in Ukrainian cursive and English print, “Zelensky". The Ukrainian President inked his last name on the ball during a visit to the Big Apple in 2019. His signatures sit just below the Major League Baseball logo.
The ball comes with a letter signed by Volodymyr Yelchenko, Ukrainian Ambassador to the United Nations at the time.
The sale is being handled by RR Auction, and it expects to fetch at least $15,000 for the Major League Baseball (MLB).
The RR Auction house informed that Randy L Kaplan, who is a government affairs specialist in New York, is selling the baseball, which he initially received as a gift from Yelchenko.
Kalpan plans to donate part of the proceeds to a Ukrainian relief fund as an act of solidarity. RR Auction has also stated that they will donate their cut to the same fund. The auction will close on 11 May.
Kaplan has an affinity for Major League baseballs and politics, and has been collecting balls signed by world leaders for nearly 30 years. His first was autographed by Bill Clinton.
The baseball is described as being in “very fine" condition, according to the auction listing. Kaplan plans to donate part of the proceeds to a Ukrainian relief fund as an act of solidarity.
What’s more, RR Auction says they will donate their cut to the same fund.
The baseball has already received 14 bids, before a bidder is announced after 11 May.