The police have detained a group that was manufacturing drones for smuggling purposes

Using unmanned aerial vehicles, smugglers from Volyn were sending cigarettes into European Union countries. Cigarette smuggling has been a longstanding business, given that cigarette prices in Ukraine are significantly lower than in the EU.

The drones themselves were 3D-printed, as reported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The suspects had in their possession a motorized hang glider, 8 drones of the ‘Aircraft’ and ‘Quadcopter’ types, thermal imagers, binoculars, radios, GPS trackers, camera traps and over 2,000 packs of counterfeit cigarettes.

The seized UAVs will be handed over to the State Border Guard Service. Meanwhile, on the front lines, the Russian army possesses drones at a ratio of 5-7 times more than the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Ukrainian military personnel also complain that due to the shortage of drones, they are facing significant losses and are unable to engage in offensive actions.