Ukrainian private companies are integrated into the army’s system to defend the sky against drones and missiles launched daily by Russia.
A surprising new development for some Ukrainian companies. Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced on Friday, April 17, that a Russian Shahed drone had been “neutralized” while flying at “over 400km/h”. While non-military defenses had previously neutralized drones, this is the first time an aircraft flying at such speeds has been neutralized, according to Ukraine, which has opened its sky defense to private companies.
“Nineteen companies now form private air defense groups, fully integrated into the unified command system of the Air Force,” details the Ukrainian minister.
Since March 30, Kiev announced that the first drones launched by Moscow had been shot down “by a private company in Kharkiv,” in the northeast of the country.
By “private air defense,” Ukraine does not mean independent mercenaries. They refer to private companies – possibly in energy, transportation, telecommunications, or industry – that are creating their own anti-drone units to protect their sites. Employees of these companies are trained, equipped, and integrated into the command system of the Ukrainian Air Force. They receive military information, act on military orders, and sometimes use machine guns, jammers, interceptor drones, or automated systems to shoot down Russian drones.
“We do not limit the means of protection they can purchase”
Ukraine reveals few details about the identity of the companies involved in defending its sky. These companies must first obtain authorization from the authorities to shoot down Ukrainian drones before being integrated into the army’s system. This is a welcome assistance for Kiev against constant Russian attacks but does not represent a miracle solution.
“We do not expect private air defense to solve all our problems. We are forced to take this measure because every opportunity to shoot down one, two, three, four, five Shahed drones is valuable,” explained Yuriy Myronenko, the inspector general at the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense and the main architect of the project at the beginning of the month.
The objective is to shoot down as many Russian drones as possible. For this reason, Ukraine is ready to arm its companies with sophisticated weapons. “We do not limit the means of protection they can purchase because we understand that the war will evolve in three or six months,” Yuriy Myronenko predicts.
On the ground, Ukraine continues to face attacks from Russian drones and missiles, more than four years after the start of the Russian invasion. This Thursday, Moscow launched 659 drones and 44 missiles in just 24 hours against Ukraine, resulting in at least 16 deaths and 111 injuries. Kiev claims to intercept the majority of weapons launched against its territory. Conversely, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that these strikes targeted military targets and energy infrastructure used by the Ukrainian army.
