Ukrainian soldiers turning old shells into powerful drone munitions

The factory's founder provided information to United24 about the operations at the factory, where weapons are being modified.

"The range of ammunition we receive is huge," says the founder of the workshop and commander of the 3rd Special Operations Regiment.  

He and his group are recycling old, worthless artillery rounds, some of which date back to the 1950s. Front-line soldiers are also delivering NLAW and Javelin anti-tank missiles, which have a lot of destructive power despite being slightly damaged by shrapnel. They are filling Ukraine's drones' warheads with it.

Ammunition containers being readied for disposal at the facility, along with the artillery round shells that have been split open and their explosives removed. They are identified as 122/152-mm munitions from Pakistan and Iran by their unique marks.

Soldiers working on a production line repurpose outdated weapons to make drone warheads. Some work with metal to create uniform bits that would eventually be turned into shrapnel, although their duties vary. Others manage the shrapnel used in FPV drone warheads. A separate squad, meanwhile, stuffs the bodies with explosives.

Certain grenades have an extra "fragmentation jacket" attached so that the anti-tank shell can harm enemy soldiers when it detonates.

The founder of the factory notes that even in creating weapons, creativity is essential. There are things we wouldn’t even suspect could be turned into weapons.

"According to rough estimates, up to 20% of munitions in the combat zone fail to detonate. That's why we developed a system that not only helps dispose of dangerous items but also turns this process into a benefit for our military," said Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.

• Why Ukrainian army may occasionally receive low-quality ammunition.