Editorial
With the United States still having to unblock the military aid package in Congress and with the West having, more generally, shown some weakness in continuing to support Ukraine, it is necessary, as far as possible, to take action. Even if the initiative will not significantly change the progress of the war which has been stuck for months, the determined will of the Ukrainian people in trying to regain their lost land deserves attention.
The Kyiv government has therefore launched an initiative to involve the population in the construction of small drones at a truly negligible cost but capable, however, of helping troops on the battlefield especially for airspace saturation and reconnaissance activities. Drones of about 20 centimeters can be built directly at home.
The initiative, known as “Drones of the People” is promoted by the Ukrainian non-governmental organization Victory Drones and enjoys the patronage of the Minister for Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, which actively encourages the participation of the civilian population.
Another aspect is the results of the next US presidential elections and the EU elections which could make the aid needle turn inexorably towards values not desired by President Zelensky. Faced with this uncertainty, the Ukrainian armed forces are reducing investments in artillery, preferring to focus on the increasingly relevant use of drones, characterized by a significantly lower cost and a high level of efficiency and precision. The “People's Drones” initiative is a clear manifestation of this new strategy, supported by notable growth in the research, development and industrial production of military drones in the country.
Through a post on Facebook, Mykhailo Fedorov urged the Ukrainian population to actively participate in the initiative, with the ambitious goal of completing at least one million Fpv drones (First Person View) by the end of 2024. Victory Drones has made an engineering course for the construction of drones available for free, offering lessons on Zoom and providing a detailed list of components, tools and materials necessary for the project and assembly.
The cost of the project is extremely accessible and fluctuates below 50 euros. All construction phases can be shared and monitored by a group of engineers who have made themselves available to support the project. Once assembled, the drones are delivered to Victory Drones instructors for the required quality, efficiency and sabotage prevention checks; those who pass all the tests are immediately transferred to the armed forces at the front. Since the beginning of the year, when the initiative was launched, 100 drones have already been delivered to the armed forces and 80% have not needed corrections or adjustments.
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