Russian drones bother for $ 2,400

From a time to this part the Shahed word an important hole has been made in the Military scope. We talk about a Iranian combat drone that in the Ukraine War has erected as important actor in Moscow’s offensives. In fact, Russia has such a capacity that even the technology for North Korea for add it to your army. Meanwhile, in Ukraine an unprecedented decision has been made: civilians can go armed in search of the Shahed.

The reward is up to $ 2,400.

Volunteers and weapons of another time. I counted this week The New York Times A live scene on the periphery of Kyiv. While the night fell on the Ukrainian fields, a group of civilians armed with old machine guns and tablets prepared to face one of the greatest challenges of modern conflict: the Drones swarms Russians

Yes, they are volunteers (teachers, journalists, construction workers) who travel rural roads in trucks, With rudimentary equipment and tons of determination, to protect the capital of Ukraine from unmanned air attacks that They intensify every week. In one of the surveillance points in the city of Pereiaslav, about 80 kilometers from Kyiv, the led group By Mykhailo and Sofia It is organized every night with a mixture of military routine, camaraderie and resignation before a threat that does not give truce.

Invisible fear. While latest generation anti -aircraft systems such as Patriot missiles They defend urban nuclei, Kyiv’s exterior protection is based on a network of mobile units Like Pereiaslav. These operate in the rings farther from the capital, with the task not only to tear down drones, but also to alert the interior layers of the defense system on imminent attacks.

The volunteers, formed very basically by the army and supplied with armament of past times as Maxim machine guns From World War II or Czechoslovacos models of the 50s, they patrol areas where enemy drones are detected that try to evade radars following the course of the Dnieper River. In their twelve shiftswhich combine with day work, trust coffee, the acquired experience and a strong coordination with other units to survive.

Sophisticated threat. And here that old man appears again acquaintance. Russia has perfected your aerial strategy through the massive use of Shahed and imitations droneswhich uses in waves to exhaust Ukrainian defenses before launching cruise or ballistic missiles. In recent attacks there have been record figures for Up to 472 drones and lures in one night.

These tactics include flights, unpredictable trajectory changes and a Increasing use of Decoyswhich greatly complicates the defense work of poorly equipped units. Despite its limitations, the Pereiaslav unit He told the Times which has managed to demolish more than 30 drones since its creation in 2024. its weapons, although “vintage”, remains effective against low -height objectives, while it is increasingly frequent that drones fly to altitudes that their weapons cannot reach, leaving volunteers in a role of observation and coordination.

Civil resistance. We talked about volunteers who even received any economic stimulus. The protagonists of this improvised defense are citizens who have transformed their lives into A double day: During the day they teach, they work in works or write reports, and when the night arrives they become sentinels.

Yaroslav, For exampleHe is a University Professor of Computer Science and examines his students during the day, but at dusk he monitors the sky with night vision prismatic. Sofia, experimentist, has dedicated her life to work with unity after witnessing how Russian drones flew over her city without opposition. Without salary or stable logistics support, the group depends on Personal donations to acquire from bulletproof vests to fuel. They told the Times They now have Browning machine guns Americans mounted in a vehicle … who are still learning to drive.

The reward comes. In recent weeks something has changed, as They explained in Insider. In a bold attempt to reinforce their defensive capacity in the face of Russian drones, the Ukraine government has approved a new program that allows these civilians to actively participate in the interception of unmanned aircraft in exchange for a remuneration that can reach The 2,400 dollars per month.

The measure was formalized by the Ukrainian Parliament and Announced by Taras Melynchukrepresentative of the Cabinet before the Supreme Rada, who stressed that the main objective is strengthen aerial defense of the country at a time when Shahed drones waves They punish Ukrainian infrastructure and cities too often.

A fortune in the face of salaries. The figure is not trivial. The economic incentive offered by the Government amounts to 100,000 grivas per month, equivalent to approximately $ 2,426, a figure that represents a very income superior to the average salary of the Ukrainians before the war, located at just 14,577 grivnas (about $ 353) according to Official data of January 2022.

Even taking into account the increase registered by employment portals as work.uawhich place the current salary average in about 24,241 grivnas, the payment for collaborating in anti -aircraft tasks represents considerable remuneration for a population that has seen its deeply affected economy after three years of conflict.

It is worth everything to break down. The plan contemplates the integration of non -mobilized civilians who can act independently Under military supervision, allowing them to use not only equipment provided by the Ukraine Armed Forces, but also their own private vehicles, hunting weapons, light weapons and other available means.

This decision is aligned with the tactics that have already proven to be effective and that place us in a dystopia that approaches a civil War scene: mobile units of civilians who patrol at night armed with machine guns mounted on trucks or personal cars, shooting against Russian drones from the ground. Although officially these units have heavy armament as the M2 browningit is not unusual that I also know Use shotguns To tear down FPV drones in combat areas.

Supervision for volunteers. To the big question, where the money will come from for the Rewardsthe Government has explained that payments to volunteers will come from Budgets of local governments and will be determined by the commanders of the Territorial Defense Unitswho will work in coordination with group leaders who must deliver monthly reports on activities and personnel involved.

In addition, the plan foresees the Formalization of operators of drones from voluntary and paramilitary units already existing, who must submit formation certificates to be officially accepted under the structure of the Ministry of Defense. In case of death during operations, the families of civilians incorporated into these defense tasks may receive Unique compensation and pensions similar to those granted to the relatives of military veterans.

A line of citizen defense. The story of these armed civilians With museum pieces, sustained per liters of coffee and a strong will, it reveals both the vulnerability of the Ukrainian defensive system and the resilience of those who support it. In the middle of a war high technologythe defense of airspace depends, in part, on improvised groups that combine patriotism, ingenuity and limited resources to contain an increasingly sophisticated offensive.

If you also want, in a scenario where the aerial threat has become daily and massive, Ukraine is committed to turning its citizens into key actors of resistance, armed with what they have at hand, although backed by an official structure and An economic incentive unprecedented.

Image | Ііор онев’ю, Mstyslav Chernov

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