Since the beginning of the Russian offensive against Ukraine back in 2014, Ukrainian society has been helping the army. We helped with everything we could – from socks, underwear, and food to bulletproof vests, helmets, drones, and cars. Thanks to this, the Ukrainian army survived.
At the beginning of the large-scale invasion in 2022, this volunteer movement did not fade away, but rather developed with renewed vigor. Since then, millions of Ukrainians, without exaggeration, have donated money for the needs of their army! Moreover, they organize themselves and buy and transport everything they need for the front.
A people’s network for the production of FPV drones has already developed in Ukraine, so to speak. Ordinary citizens chip in with money to buy components in China or the EU. They buy their own specific tools and assemble the drones at home! And these are not specialized plants or factories! These are ordinary people without technical education! After that, they send them to the front and it becomes a tangible support for their own troops.
In fact, this is an incredible success for Ukrainians. It’s also a good example of how a whole nation unites for the sake of one goal!
The military is in constant need of products that can be manufactured using 3D printers. These include shells for dropping from a drone, mines, medical equipment, spare parts for assault rifles, radios, and drones. It is the 3D printer that turns a grenade into a small air bomb, and an ordinary quadcopter into a bomber.
One group of volunteers had an idea: “Why don’t all people with 3D printers work as a single ‘defense plant’? Quickly put the most necessary things on the assembly line, unify products, develop their own solutions and train new printers?”
This is how the volunteer organization DrukArmy (the word “druk” in Ukrainian means “to print”) started its work. Over the course of two years, thousands of printers have united. They set up a design office, established quality control, feedback from the military, logistics, and a communication and coordination system.
Today, DrukArmy’s fleet includes more than 10,000 3D printers scattered across Ukraine and abroad. Hundreds of supplies are shipped to the front every week. A volunteer’s apartment is a production facility, a warehouse, and a quality control laboratory. The organization’s financing is almost entirely decentralized – each printer buys as much special plastic as he can afford. Either partner companies or ordinary Ukrainians finance the purchase of materials.
Usually, the development of something new begins with a request from the military. They then test the prototype on the battlefield and give their assessment. The organization is gradually moving beyond printing and uniting volunteers who can weave nets, solder electronics, and work with more complex tools.
Even foreigners are joining the ranks of DrukArmy. “We make a physical object with our own hands that kills the aggressor. This makes you involved in a great cause,” the volunteers say.
One of the volunteers is Serhiy, an ophthalmologist and university lecturer. Initially, he was given a 3D printer to make toys for his child. However, when he found out about DrukArmy, his fleet of printers grew to four.
“I would put a fifth one, but there is no space. In the summer, I showed it to my 11-year-old nephew. He liked it and we bought him a printer for $200. I give him plastic, and after school he helps to fulfill some requests of the military,” the man says.
Still, this is not enough, and the Ukrainian army continues to retreat. Putin’s troops suffer significant losses, but still continue to advance. North Korea has already joined the Russian-Ukrainian war on the side of Evil. The North Korean dictator sent the first 10,000 special forces to the front.
In addition to North Korea, Belarus, China, and Iran are helping Russia. The Axis of Evil has already been formed. And against this background, the Biden administration is forbidding Ukraine to strike Russian military airfields.
I wonder how long Ukrainians will survive under such conditions? And who will be next?
