Ukrainian civilians building drones at home to support war effort

(NewsNation) — Ukrainian civilians are building drones at home to support their country’s defense as the slow delivery of weapons from Western allies has left the country vulnerable to attacks by Russia’s military.

Ordinary citizens of Ukraine who have joined in the effort of assembling these drones spoke exclusively to NewsNation, saying it is their way of contributing to their country’s war efforts.

“I do it for me, for my family and for my kids, because I want my daughter to play in sunshine instead of a bomb shelter,” said Solomiia, a Ukrainian mother who works as a pianist. “I put together eight drones so far. I got money for approximately six drones.”

Solomiia is among thousands of working Ukrainians building drones on their dining tables late into the night after their children go to bed.

As the war in Ukraine passes the 2.5-year mark, good weapons are as precious as good news from the front lines. With arms shipments from the West dependent on political issues, Ukraine is asking its citizens to pitch in.

The manufacturing of drones by civilians is made possible with the backing of Social Drone UA, a private online group that instructs, fundraises and supplies pieces for everyday civilians to create low-tech devices that have a big impact on the battlefield.

Andrew Radchenko and Valeriia Ardykutsa put their newlywed life on hold when Russia invaded Ukraine, nearly takking Kyiv two years ago. Now, they have a side gig they never imagined.

“They provide all development stages from instruction, how to assemble drones, in text and video ways, it’s for hardware and software,” Radchenko told NewsNation, adding they provide pilots for a testing stage. “These pilots fly this drone in special environments, trying to face all possible issues, before passing to the forces.”

After a year and a half, Radchenko is on his 37th drone.

Ukrainian pilots are using the devices for weaponry, surveillance and even for destroying Russian vehicles worth millions. Each civilian-built drone is saving the government hundreds of euros per device.

“I would say that Social Drone currently is working (with) about 6,000 members. You feel like you will be a part of the victory, you support our forces, you protect kids, women, grandparents and it’s a really good feeling,” Radchenko said.

Now, the production of these drones is ramping up. Social Drone UA initially sent about five drones a week to the military. Now they’re up to about 2,000 drones a month. But this is still just a fraction of what Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s war machine is producing.

Reports indicate the Kremlin is manufacturing tens of thousands of devices a month.

“To be honest, it’s not enough. It’s huge, but it’s not enough,” Radchenko told NewsNation.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Sunday that Russia is preparing to intensify its offensive along Ukraine’s northern border, as the death toll rose to 14 in an aerial bomb attack on a large construction supplies store in the city of Kharkiv.

The bombing of Kharkiv on Saturday afternoon also left 43 injured and 16 missing, Kharkiv Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said.

In a video statement from Kharkiv, Zelenskyy said that Russia is preparing offensive actions 90 kilometers (55 miles) northwest of Ukraine’s second-largest city.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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