Ukrainians turn war debris into innovative weaponry
During the current war, Ukrainians have demonstrated immense creativity. One way this is evident is in their ability to find new uses for old or faulty missiles and other types of weapons. Here’s how Ukrainians are recycling war debris and turning it against their adversaries.
Journalists from the United 24 group visited a secret military recycling facility established by Ivanych, the commander of the 3rd Regiment of the Special Operations Forces. A team of 50 people with limited resources are dismantling old or damaged artillery shells and other types of armaments.
According to Ukrainians, some of the dismantled missiles were produced in the 1950s, and judging by the photos, most of the currently disassembled 4.8-inch and 6-inch artillery ammunition is of Iranian or Pakistani manufacture. Additionally, the facility receives captured ammunition and launchers like the FGM-148 Javelin or NLAW that were damaged by shrapnel.
Everything you know or don’t can become a weapon. "You just have to be creative"
As Ivanych reveals in an interview with journalists, "everything you know, and even things you don’t, can be turned into a weapon. You just have to be creative." The facility adapts a variety of ammunition for use on FPV drones or as throwable charges for "Baba Yaga" drones.
"We cannot afford to throw away ammunition like they do in the USA," Ivanych says, adding that Ukraine is not as wealthy as America, so nothing here is wasted. He also points out that while new faulty ammunition does occur, these instances are very rare.
Due to the handling of explosives (as old explosives can become unstable), safety during work is crucial, leaving no room for a relaxed atmosphere at the facility. Often, the factory receives shells with slogans directed at Ukraine or Russia, either written or engraved.
The workers are divided into three groups: one handling explosives, the second cutting steel rods for shrapnel production, and the third producing warhead bodies and assembling them. Cumulative warheads from launchers or anti-tank grenades are also adapted for drone use when needed.
Ivanych estimates, according to reports, that about 20 percent of the ammunition in the frontline zone is ineffective, but his team's work can help mitigate this through alternative reuse of war waste. It is worth noting that similar efforts are also conducted by Russians, who, for example, extract explosives from faulty hand grenades.
