Ukraine has shored up its air defense system as the war with Russia drags on, the BBC reported on Thursday.
As the war has ground on for four years, Ukraine has built a more sophisticated, layered air defense system. While at the start, it had relied on old Soviet-era systems, Western countries have introduced it to more sophisticated systems, such as Patriot air defense missiles.
While there are still major gaps in Ukraine’s defense system, such as the lack of missile interceptors for the Patriot system, Ukraine has begun producing its own defense systems.
One of the most notable achievements of Ukraine’s homegrown defense tech is the Sky Map software, which uses radar, sensors, and video feeds to detect threats and assist air defense systems.
At first, Ukrainians used phones fitted to telegraph poles to listen for approaching drones. Now, they use more complex sensors to detect them.
The Sky Map software is currently being used by the US to help defend an American base in Saudi Arabia.
Ukraine producing hundreds of interceptor drones a day
Another weapon that Ukraine has become particularly adept at producing is cheap interceptor drones. Ukraine produces up to 1,000 of these large bullet-shaped drones a day. According to Ukrainian estimates, they took out some 30,000 Russian drones in March.
They’re also considerably cheaper than the drones they are designed to attack. The BBC report noted that one such type of drone, the P1-SUN interceptor, can be 3D-printed for around $1,000, as compared to the nearly $50,000 Shahed attack drones it is designed to take down.
Private companies in Ukraine are also signing up to be a part of the system.
"We need to cover all of Ukraine and see all the targets. So accordingly, we use all the resources we have," Lt.-Col. Yuriy Myronenko, an inspector general at Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, told the BBC.
One such company is Carmine Sky, which offers air defense to private-sector clients. It has already built a network of towers mounted with remotely controlled machine guns in Kharkiv, close to the Russian border.
Their recruits tend to be ordinary Ukrainians who receive a few weeks of training before they can remotely operate one of the machine guns.
The company’s spokesperson told the BBC that the recruits’ jobs aren’t difficult and are similar to playing a video game. However, they supplement parts of Ukraine’s air defense system.
"We're integrated into the military system," Carmine Sky’s spokesperson said. "This is not the Wild West, so we follow the instructions and commands of the military."
He also pointed out that private companies like the one he works for can scale more quickly than the public system. According to the report, although these private companies are new, they’ve already shot down dozens of drones.
Russian attacks on Ukraine designed to overwhelm defense systems
While hundreds of civilians are still dying in Russia’s ever-increasing attacks, which are designed to overwhelm Ukraine’s defense systems, Kyiv is getting better at defending its citizens.
For example, the report noted that from May 14 to 15, Russia launched over 1,500 drones and over 50 missiles at Ukraine.
The event marked Russia’s largest aerial assault on Ukraine to date, and killed 27 people.
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his address that over 93% of the drones were intercepted. While it didn’t prevent the deaths of the 27 people, Ukrainian figures from May 14, 2025, show that Ukraine was only able to intercept half of the drones that were fired at it last year.
"We are now, unfortunately, the best in the world," Myronenko told the BBC.