Students, academics and electronics hobbyists are using homemade drones and motion-sensing cameras to patrol the Ukrainian border for signs of Russian military build-up and aggression. They say they have also struck at Russian targets with adapted Soviet missiles. The intelligence this group gathers is fed into a custom software package that it helped develop for the country鈥檚 military.
is an non-governmental organisation staffed by dozens of software and hardware engineers. Hundreds more people lend their support when they can, and stand in reserve. The group was established in 2014 in response to Russia鈥檚 invasion of Donbas and its annexation of Crimea and due to a belief that the Ukranian military lacked the expertise and funding to operate the modern technology needed to track pro-Russian separatists.
In those stages of the conflict, Aerorozvidka鈥檚 drones were even fitted with homemade bombs and used to while operators sat at a safe distance in armoured vans. The group claims that at least two of its members have died in enemy strikes, including one of the co-founders of the group, , who was . The group now moves location frequently to avoid being tracked and continues its work watching the border for a build-up of Russian forces, bombing them when the opportunity arises with makeshift missiles fired from their drones under the oversight of the Ukrainian military.
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鈥淥ur main goal is to provide our forces modern and sophisticated technologies to lead the war remotely,鈥� a spokesperson for the group told 快猫短视频. 鈥淲e prefer to lose machines, instead of our brothers in arms.鈥�
Initially, the group used off-the-shelf drones, but now custom builds large custom machines with eight rotors using parts bought online. These are able to carry heavier payloads, and therefore larger weapons. The group claims that several of these drones have been shot down by Russian forces and that they also face regular cyberattacks and electronics warfare from Russia.
The Ukrainian and Russian militaries both also have access to their own drones. Ukraine has used against Russian-backed separatists. The Ukrainian government has also claimed that Russian special forces attacked its ammunition dumps .
Aerorozvidka hopes to use its expertise to add to the intelligence available to Ukraine. It also says it has purchased time on civilian surveillance satellites, although wouldn鈥檛 say which provider it uses, only saying the imagery is 鈥渘ot with such a degree of detail and not in such quantity as we would like鈥�.
As well as drones, Aerorozvidka says it operates a chain of cameras mounted atop high poles along the Russian border in the east of Ukraine. These cameras have a zoom of up to 50 times and can pan and tilt to observe movements, but are also targeted regularly by opposition forces. 鈥淥ur surveillance poles are struck by Russian missiles, but we build new ones,鈥� says the group鈥檚 spokesperson.
One staff member at a security company that supplies Aerorozvidka with components told 快猫短视频 that the cameras are able to automatically detect movement, and raise alarms when objects or people cross a user-defined line. They also have the ability to detect faces.
鈥淭his is equipment that, in addition to normal use, can also be used in military operations and help our soldiers monitor remotely without being in direct danger,鈥� the person says. 鈥淰olunteers contact us and we, for our part, sell equipment at the lowest possible prices and provide advice.鈥�
Aerorozvidka鈥檚 spokesperson told 快猫短视频 that the drones 鈥渃an do any kind of missions, intelligence or fighting鈥�.
鈥淲e can unite all these parts simultaneously to raise the effectiveness of [Ukraine鈥檚] forces. The complexity of our system is much higher than in 2014 when we used customised consumer drones.鈥�
Software engineers working for the Aerorozvidka also created custom 鈥渟ituation awareness鈥� software called Delta, which takes the wealth of data from drones, CCTV and satellite feeds and presents it in an interactive map that military commanders can use for planning. The group says that it has been designed to work with NATO systems and has already been used in both and real battles involving the Ukraine military, and that it can be accessed from any web browser on even basic computers.
at the University of Nottingham, UK, says Ukraine鈥檚 military certainly lacked technological prowess in 2014, but that since then there has been a 鈥渧ery systematic programme of military reforms with lots of Western support and training鈥�, despite political sensitivity from some countries about providing weapons. She believes that the impact of the volunteer group might not now be as large as it once was, but it could have other benefits.
鈥淚t shows obviously that Ukraine is prepared to not just stand by and let things happen to them,鈥� she says. 鈥淎nd to do these kinds of things, even if the impact is limited, I think that is from a morale point of view quite significant.鈥�
The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine didn鈥檛 respond to a request for comment.
