Ukraine will recruit volunteers to fight Russian drones: how it will work

Members of volunteer groups of territorial communities are planned to be involved in the fight against enemy drones. Participants of the programme will be able to receive remuneration of up to 100,000 hryvnyas per month, the funding will be provided from local budgets.

This was reported by the representative of the Cabinet of Ministers in the Verkhovna Rada Taras Melnychuk. According to him, the Government has approved the relevant proposal of the Ministry of Defence. The experiment will be implemented for the duration of martial law, but not longer than two years.

Fighters of volunteer formations of territorial communities, as well as members of paramilitary units of the Territorial Defence Forces, who have the necessary flying skills and qualifications to operate drones, will be involved. The main task of these groups is to protect Ukraine from aerial threats, including from attack drones and manned aircraft used by the aggressor country.

According to MP Oleksiy Honcharenko, persons who have undergone appropriate training and have certificates for working with drones will be able to take part in such groups. They will have at their disposal not only drones, but also personal weapons and, if necessary, light aircraft. The teams will be able to track, escort and destroy enemy targets in the sky.

The size of the payments will depend on the personal participation of each fighter in combat duty and performance of tasks under the programme.

The initiative came amid Russia's ongoing attacks using kamikaze drones and missiles on Ukrainian territory, including critical infrastructure. Earlier, in December 2024, the commander of the National Guard of Ukraine, Oleksandr Pivnenko, reported that the country's critical facilities are already guarded by about 900 firing groups, of which almost 500 are mobile.

Involving volunteers in air defence will be an additional element of protection, especially in places where the resources of regular troops are limited. This solution can significantly increase the effectiveness of repelling attacks, especially drone attacks.