1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
ConflictsUkraine

Meet the Ukrainian volunteers shooting down Russian drones

03:50

This browser does not support the video element.

Mariel Müller in Pereyaslav, Ukraine
July 28, 2025

Russia's military launches a steady stream of drones and missiles at Ukraine, killing dozens of people and injuring hundreds. It's often up to volunteers to try and keep the country's skies safe — ordinary citizens who have only old weapons at their disposal. DW traveled to the town of Pereyaslav to meet one of the volunteer teams.

Ukrainian IT student Sofia Horobchenko leads a double life: By day, she studies in her university dorm; by night, she helps defend her country against Russian drone attacks as part of a volunteer air defense unit.

Despite limited resources and outdated weapons like the 140-year-old Maxim machine gun, her unit has successfully intercepted drones threatening civilian areas. 

For more, watch the video above.

(This video summary was created using AI. A journalist edited it before publication.)

Skip next section DW's Top Story

DW's Top Story

Skip next section More stories from DW