Ukraine's volunteer air defense to combat drone attacks | DW News

Key Concepts:

• Volunteer air defense units in Ukraine
• Russian drone attacks on Kyiv and other cities
• Use of outdated weapons alongside modern systems
• The role of civilian volunteers in the war effort
• International support and need for more advanced weaponry
• The impact of the war on Ukrainian civilians

I. The Situation in Ukraine

• Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, is experiencing the heaviest aerial bombardments since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion over three years ago.
• Moscow is launching drones and missiles at Kyiv, resulting in dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries.
• Ukraine is pleading for advanced air defense systems.
• Ordinary citizens are volunteering to defend the skies.

II. Volunteer Air Defense Units

• The report focuses on a volunteer team in the central Ukrainian town of Peray Yaslav.
• These volunteers use old weapons to shoot down modern drones.
• The shahad drones could hit residential buildings and kill civilians if not intercepted.
• The first shiads didn't have cameras, but newer versions do, requiring volunteers to be careful of being targeted.
• The team's outpost in Peraslav sits along a major drone flight path to Keefe just 100 km away.

III. Sophia ("Mafa"): A Volunteer's Story

• Sophia, call sign Mafa (named after a mythical Ukrainian spirit), leads a drone-hunting team at night and is a university student pursuing a master's in IT by day.
• She was born in Cape and taught from childhood to be open to new challenges.
• At the start of the full-scale invasion, she felt shocked but knew she had to act.
• She initially helped at a checkpoint and then joined an air defense unit.
• She was promoted to chief of staff of her formation over a year ago.
• She emphasizes the importance of listening to her team and supporting them through hardship, including PTSD.
• She says the war has made her more confident, fearless, and stricter, and more grateful.
• Quote: "I'm still me, but I'm me with some additional."

IV. The Challenges and Equipment

• The team uses weapons like the Maxim machine gun, invented 140 years ago, which is less accurate than modern systems.
• Russia attempts to overwhelm air defenses with decoy drones.
• The team recently shot down a drone.
• Sophia's unit gets a no-fire order because of Ukrainian helicopters trying to shoot down the drone.

V. Angel: A Comrade's Perspective

• Angel, a retired policeman and machine gunner in Sophia's unit, tends to his team like he tends to his bees, with dedication and care.
• He and Sophia often discuss the intensified Russian drone attacks.

VI. Call for International Support

• Sophia and her team need more support from other countries.
• They need more rockets and weapons to be powerful and win.
• They feel overlooked sometimes.
• Quote: "We have to be powerful to win. And to be powerful, we need more of everything. More rockets, more weapons. Sometimes we think that we're alone, that everybody is just looking and doing nothing."

VII. Ukrainian MP Alexa Gonenko's Perspective

• Volunteer fighters like Sophia are essential to Ukraine's defense.
• They saved Ukraine in 2022.
• There is a pilot project where volunteers protect the skies without other combat missions.
• This allows people unfit for army service to contribute.
• Many volunteers are former military personnel, well-trained.
• Regarding Trump's shortened deadline for Russia to end the war, Gonenko finds it inspiring.
• She believes Putin only understands the language of strength.
• She hopes for serious decisions from the US, like secondary sanctions and more weapons.
• Quote: "Trump lost his patience with Putin and it's very good because we in Ukraine we knew from the very beginning that Putin is just playing games with Trump."
• Quote: "It's very inspiring. I hope that it will be very serious and uh that's the language which Putin understands only language of strength only language of force."

VIII. Conclusion

The report highlights the crucial role of volunteer air defense units in Ukraine, who, despite facing numerous challenges and using outdated equipment, are defending their cities against Russian drone attacks. The volunteers need more advanced weaponry and support from the international community to strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities.