Ukraine's terrifying "People's Drone Project"

Imagine a world where there’s at least a few people in every neighborhood who have drones equipped to kill. You might not know who they are, but they are there.

I’m highlighting the last part of my just published essay, Throwing Ukraine Under the Bus and adding some extra information. Some of this information wasn’t that easy to find. I realize many people don’t read longform writing and this is so important, I want to make sure as many people as possible know about it.

dronexl.co

Ukraine’s Army of Drones plans for 2024 include “one million FPV (first person view) drones and hundreds of other types of drones that meet the needs of the Defense Forces”.

The Ukrainian government has a huge crowdfunding campaign going on with celebrities like Star Wars actor Mark Hamill presenting promotional videos and sharing messages to his fans.

Ukraine’s “Maritime Drone Initiative”, for example, amassed $7.8 Million through crowdfunding in just 36 hours.

Described as a “dark omen to the future of robotic warfare and an ingenious invention for the needs of the moment,” the killer FPV drone is cheap and not much different from those a photographer or a gamer might use.

FPV derives its name “from the special set of goggles the pilots wear that allows them to control the drone in a way akin to a video game. Multiple clips posted online highlight the skill of the FPV pilots by grimly taking the lives of men fleeing for their lives”.

You can watch how terrifying these drones are here:

President Zelensky wants to enlist 200 Ukrainian companies to manufacture the kamikaze drones and have civilians take a free engineering course on how to assemble a 7-inch FPV in their home.

It’s become “The People’s Drone Project.”

Matvii Karpenko spoke to NHK World in January 2024.

Civilians assemble drones at home, like Matvii Karpenko

Game developer Matvii Karpenko, 23, has taught himself to build drones and now uses his teleworking equipment to pass on the knowledge to other civilians.

Karpenko buys the parts from eBay, e-commerce stores and other locations he finds via social media apps such as Telegram. He plans to send his completed drones to an organization that will check them, and if they're good enough, pass them on to the military.

But what if some enterprising guy decides to hold on to one of the drones he builds? What if he decides to sell it to another guy at school? Or the local gang leader? And then, someone else gets the idea.

Or what if the government recruits somebody in every neighborhood to have a drone and trains them how to use it if needed.

Imagine a world where there’s at least a few people in every neighborhood who have drones equipped to kill. You might not know who they are, but they are there. Maybe the government employs them, maybe not. Who’s to say? Maybe they can kill, maybe they can’t. Who’s to say? Maybe they just sneak into your house (the ones that are as small as a fly) and spy on you. Or maybe they do other things. Who’s to say?

And then, there might be some smartass kid who’s gone rogue, has his own drone in the basement. What’s he going to do with it, when anyone can assemble a drone and turn it into a killing machine?

Maybe you will want one for yourself, just to be on the safe side.

Who does the enemy become? Forget about other countries. Forget about your own government. Forget terrorists. It could be that pesky government informer that lives right next door. Or that crazy kid down the street that you want to kill before he kills you. Or that guy who’s having an affair with your wife two streets over. I mean, it’s open season.

Some of you might recall my recent post SHOCKING NEWS: Anyone can fly a drone over a school, about a man sitting in a park near the elementary school my grandson attends and flying a small drone over the school when kids were outside playing. The teacher was so concerned, she started taking the children into the classroom whenever she saw the drone. As far as we could find out, there is no law against what this man is doing.

Food for thought, folks.