Photo: Louis Beaudemont/UNITED24 Media
Too young to enlist when Russia launched its full-scale invasion, Yurii turned to engineering. In 11th grade, while his neighborhood was under attack, he decided: “If I can’t fight, I’ll build something useful.”
Yurii’s anti-drones ammunition for shotguns. Photo: Yurii
What started as YouTube tutorials and a 3D printer soon became something deadly serious: anti-drone ammunition. Prototypes first failed tests, but Yurii didn’t stop.
Yurii’s 3D Printer used to make molds for the ammunition. Photo: Yurii
His breakthrough came when soldiers tested his shotgun rounds against Russian drones.
The verdict? “It f***** works!” Within weeks, they were used on the frontlines—and saved lives.
Photo: Louis Beaudemont/UNITED24 Media
In Ukraine today, 75% of battlefield casualties come from drones. Yurii and others like him are racing to invent cheap, fast defenses against a relentless enemy with more men, machines, and missiles.
Ukrainian special military unit with an anti-drone gun. Photo: Viktor Fridshon/Getty Images
Now an adult, Yurii is torn between continuing his studies, devoting himself fully to his start-up, or joining the army. For now, he combines all three.
“I’m not afraid to die, but I want to be useful first.”
Photo: Louis Beaudemont/UNITED24 Media