By Rostyslav Averchuk
Kovel, Ukraine, Aug 3 (EFE).- Volunteer-made anti-drone ponchos are helping Ukrainian soldiers evade Russian drones equipped with thermal imaging cameras, offering vital protection as drone warfare expands the «kill zone» several kilometers behind the front line.
«We used to make different kinds of things needed by our soldiers, but now we focus on these ponchos. It’s a war of drones,» 54-year-old Natalia Tkhorzhevska, a Ukrainian language and literature teacher and leader of the Diyemo Vzhe («Acting Now») volunteer group, told EFE.
Around 10 women work in a small workshop to meet requests from the front, where fighting continues around the clock.
Some lay out layers of synthetic camouflage fabric and thermal insulation foil, while others sew them into spacious ponchos with long sleeves, a hood and a transparent face shield.
Hiding from drones
The ponchos are designed to reduce the amount of body heat that escapes, making it much harder for enemy drones equipped with thermal cameras to detect the wearer.
Thermal imaging, used alongside conventional video cameras, enables drone operators to spot and attack soldiers who often have to walk several kilometers, sometimes for hours or even days, to reach frontline positions undetected.
«They can’t drive to positions on the edge of the contact line because any vehicle gets destroyed. They have to walk. And that’s where the greatest danger lies,» Tkhorzhevska said.
The danger is greatest at night, when the contrast between body heat and the surrounding environment is strongest, making soldiers appear as bright red targets on thermal cameras.
The ponchos make a soldier resemble just another bush or tree to drones flying at altitudes of about 50 to 100 metres, according to 53-year-old volunteer Olena Ryzhko.
Ryzhko demonstrated how a soldier can put on one of the ponchos, which weighs just under one kilogram, in a matter of seconds.
The design also allows troops to crouch quickly when they hear an approaching drone, further reducing their visibility.
The ponchos are also effective during daylight. Volunteers adapt their colours to the terrain and the season, helping soldiers blend into their surroundings and avoid detection by standard drone cameras.
Feedback from the front
Watching ordinary civilians in a small workshop produce protection against sophisticated military drones can seem surreal, Tkhorzhevska admitted.
Although some anti-drone ponchos are manufactured commercially, production remains limited and many designs fail to meet soldiers’ needs.
As a result, troops increasingly turn to volunteer groups, which can adapt designs more quickly based on battlefield feedback, despite relying on crowdfunding to buy materials.
No poncho offers complete protection, and every design involves compromises. Still, growing demand from the front reflects their effectiveness, Tkhorzhevska said.
Her team produces around 100 ponchos a week and has made more than 2,000 since launching the project.
The garments are also used to cover wounded soldiers awaiting evacuation. For troops who spend months sheltering in dugouts, they provide a rare opportunity to leave cover.
«Drones fly overhead in swarms, and the chances of survival are very low if you step outside without any protection. Our guys use these ponchos whenever they need to leave, even briefly, because they can’t stay underground all the time,» Tkhorzhevska said.
According to Tkhorzhevska, one recent mission saw 30 Ukrainian soldiers avoid injury and successfully evacuate wounded comrades thanks to the ponchos.
Volunteers feel motivated as most have relatives serving in the armed forces.
“My husband has been fighting for more than four years. They are all exhausted and desperately need more equipment,» said 40-year-old Oleksandra Samokha, an accountant who fled her home in Zaporizhzhia with her two children because of repeated Russian attacks and now volunteers at the workshop almost every day.
“It is our duty to do whatever we can to help them.” EFE
ra-sk
