Ukraine Turns to Private Firms to Shield Industry from Russian Drones
Ukraine is piloting a government-backed plan that lets private companies run air-defense assets—such as interceptor drones and Sky Sentinel turrets—under military command to protect critical infrastructure from Russian drones and ease burden on frontline troops. Early results in Kharkiv report several enemy drones shot down, with 13 more companies preparing to join the effort. The program involves training, certification, and temporary weapon transfers from the Ministry of Defense, and officials say it could scale defense capabilities without diverting frontline units, though experts warn of integration challenges and risks like fratricide and coordination gaps.
