Crowdfunding a war: Ukraine's DIY drone-makers

In a David versus Goliath-like battle, Ukrainian forces look to private companies and crowdfunded volunteer organisations to develop defence software and drone hardware in their fight against Russia

We arrived in Krasnoarmiysk, Ukraine, at 3am. Two soldiers wearing balaclavas and holding Kalashnikov assault rifles came out to meet us, instructing us to suit up in body armour and stay alert during the trip in their truck. We rolled passed checkpoints and sped down deserted, cratered streets. In the distance, we could see the lights of a large city I assumed to be Donetsk, and an hour later they told us we had arrived at a base called Sector B.

Dozens of soldiers slept and snored in the barracks. A pile of camo and backpacks stood at the foots of their beds, as did a gun rack, home to a litany of assault rifles and light machine guns. They woke us at 6am, when a few of the soldiers asked us why we were here. We told them that we had heard they were testing weaponised drones. The soldiers burst out laughing. "What crazy people told you that? You guys should've just stayed in Kiev"