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I often joke, “Where there’s a welder, there’s a way.” I’m usually referring to an especially creative hot rod or highly modified vehicle. But the phrase could mean something completely different among resourceful Ukrainians.

In derelict warehouses or the basements of abandoned factories all across the country, Ukrainians are gather and building drones for the military. Reporters say many of the 250 defense “startups” in Ukraine have the startup of an auto shop on a rural road. Whether flying or land-based drones, many folks are finding ways to put together effective fighting machines for 1/5th the price a western military contractor would charge.

Are these drones weaponized? Yes, some of the drones hand built by Ukrainians carry and use weapons.

Are the weaponized drones automated? As far as I can tell, none of them are. Yet. Even in the world’s best-funded militaries, drones that can use AI to recognize targets and make decisions to kill are still in the experimental phase. Much more common are remote control weaponized drones. Or drones designed to carry heavy loads or injured troops while automatically following a group of soldiers.

Andrii Denysenko is the CEO of a design and production bureau called “UkrProtyp.” They built “Odyssey” a 1,750-pound ground drone prototype. It uses off-the-shelf technology such as cameras, batteries and electric drive units. Where possible, it uses found material to save money. While the U.S. military might pay $150k for such a unit, Denysenko can build one for $35k. He thinks his people could put one together in four days. See Odyssey in the Twitter post embedded below:

Russia continues pouring troops and materials into Ukraine and the smaller country has been unable to stop the superpower’s slow but steady progress. But necessity is the mother of invention. Ukrainian patriots have already demonstrated incredible ingenuity: from building brick walls on tanks to protect unarmored points to towing away Russian vehicles with farm tractors. It shouldn’t be surprising that another generation of Ukrainians are proving they can assemble world-class tech, even while hidden in a basement.

I will say that fully-automated killing drones are being developed for many larger militaries. The powers that be haven’t felt a need to regulate what their enemies can’t build. But they’re underestimating the ingenuity of regular people, even in much smaller countries. These very effective Ukrainian drone startups illustrate how badly we need international sanctions on automated warfare.

You can see reporters dive into Ukraine’s drone startups developing AI-powered drones in the video below:

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Henry Cesari

Henry Cesari joined MotorBiscuit in 2021 and brings his deep interest in vintage cars, trucks, and motorcycles to the site. Having restored his first classic car at just 16 years old, Henry has wrenched on everything from overland campers to Japanese motorcycles and even pre-war Bugattis. Henry is also an avid attendee at local car shows and genuinely enjoys connecting with fellow auto enthusiasts.

Henry earned a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and English from the University of Vermont. He has since incorporated his love of the written word with his admiration of classic cars. While Henry is interested in vintage cars, he believes the golden age of cars is yet to come. He is confident journalists will play an important role in this revolution by exposing the industry as it is now and envisioning its possible future.