Faster and More Affordable: Ukrainian Volunteers Manufacturing New Weapons

Ever short of weapons in the face of Russian aggression, Ukraine is not only seeking the help of its Western allies. It is also trying to develop new weapons on its own.

This work is often done by volunteers and local associations. In Kiev, our correspondent Gulliver Cragg met with a group of volunteers who are building a very inexpensive cruise missile.

In Kiev, engineers from the Ukrainian volunteer design bureau PARS and civilian volunteers are working on a new cruise missile to help Ukraine face Russian aggression. This cruise missile, named Trembita – after a traditional Ukrainian musical instrument – is expected to cost hundreds of times less than its Western counterparts, according to its makers.

“Developments made by entrepreneurs, volunteers, or local initiatives are generally faster and less costly than what a big bureaucratic machine can do,” explains Akim, chief engineer at PARS.

While the Trembita inventors remain volunteers, they are not amateurs. They have already produced hundreds of mortars. “We are absolutely convinced that volunteers working on innovative technical developments make a huge contribution to the war effort,” testifies Serhii, a volunteer weapon manufacturer at PARS.

“Some government officials are finally stepping up to provide support.”