Our volunteer Kyrylo Vakulynskyi received a chevron award from the Social Drone UA project, a Ukrainian community of volunteers who assemble drones for the army. Here's how he joined the project and what motivates him to volunteer.

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In January 2024, Kyrylo joined the Social Drone UA community. Before that, he spent several months researching the topic and choosing between several projects: 

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— I was motivated to join because drones were being used on a massive scale at the frontline, and there was a constant shortage of them. I was also interested in trying to assemble a drone and set up everything myself.

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The Social Drone UA community helped Kyrylo learn about the drone's operation, components and settings. From January to July 2024, the volunteer managed to assemble and send 37 drones to various units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine:

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— A drone is a consumable item at the front. Therefore, even if one of the hundred drones (worth $400) flies over and burns a couple of million dollars worth of equipment, it is already justified.

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Kyrylo is always improving. He says that what was relevant six months ago is no longer relevant. So, he is constantly learning. According to him, volunteering requires a lot of free time:

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— Finding funds, purchasing components and batteries for the drones, paying customs duties and customs clearance, picking them up from the post office, assembling the drone during power outages, flashing and configuring it, sending it for flight and testing, sending it to the military and asking them for a video report (for confirmation). Also I have to work and fulfill my duties at the same time. 

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However, this does not stop Kyrylo. He considers becoming an FPV drone constructor to be his volunteer contribution to Ukraine's victory:‍‍

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— Drones save the lives of our military. We'd rather lose a thousand drones and the money for them than the lives of our heroes!