Solutions to win: Ukrainian soldier creates innovative ground drone

Ukrainian military invented a unique ground drone.

ShoTam tells the story of the 22-year-old defender.

What is the problem?

Yevhen Hnatok had a tough upbringing: his mom sent him to a foster home when he was just seven months old. After five years, she brought him back home, only for him to quickly run away from his abusive, drunk stepdad. Unfortunately, a boarding school wasn't much of an improvement, so Zhenia [short form of the name "Yevhen" – ed.] also quickly ran away. From the age of ten, he already had to work: washing windows, peddling postcards, harvesting in greenhouses.

The only bright thing Yevhen remembers from his childhood is construction lessons from his stepfather in the days when he was sober.

"My stepfather was an engineer of heavy rocket launchers and taught me this little wisdom when he wasn't drunk. Well, I was interested, I listened. We even did something together," the boy says.

When Russia attacked, Yevgen went to defend the Kyiv region and then fought in Avdiivka. When he was at the frontlines, he realized the need for equipment that functioned remotely.

Yevhen figured that with the downsides and high cost of drones, he could make a more affordable, land–based one. He tapped into his design knowledge and got right to it.

What is the solution?

At the beginning of winter, he left the service and moved to Kyiv. There was no money for housing and drones, so friends offered a garage.

"It was cold in the garage in the winter. But it was bearable thanks to a volunteer friend who gave me a blanket and a sleeping bag. The main thing is that I had the opportunity to assemble these drones," Yevhen Hnatok, inventor of the Sirko ground drone.

Yevhen tried more than 20 times to assemble the perfect drone. Conducted live broadcasts on social networks and thus collected money for details. And in the end, he created "Sirko" – he named it in honor of his comrade with such a call sign.

"Its first functions are the transportation of ammunition, reconnaissance. And the main function is a kamikaze. It approaches a tank or a group of soldiers, falls into a trench, and breaks off. For me, the result is a knocked-out vehicle or a few killed Ruscists," says Yevhen.

Yevhen's drones are designed to be undetectable by enemy EW, and are helping the military out in the toughest zones today.

How does it work?

"Drones are supplied to the army only at the price of components. That is, it is approximately 30,000 hryvnias. They are very easy to manufacture and quite cheap," says the inventor.

A few months ago, Yevhen got a job in a design office and moved out of the garage. He continues to put all his efforts into the production of drones and is also developing a new drone model.

"I am thinking of some concept for the creation of drones that will outclass not only Ukroboronprom's inventions [Ukraine's state weapons manufacturer – ed.] and Ruscists' ones but also foreign analogs", – Yevhen Hnatok, inventor of the ground drone "Sirko".

He's on the hunt for folks who can contribute to getting the drone–building project off the ground—he needs engines, drivers, electronics, radios, and control panels.

Help out so that we have more Sirko drones and fewer enemies.