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ConflictsUkraine

Ukraine: Kyiv's 'drone hunters' defend city against Russia

April 8, 2024

Russia has deployed Shahed drones as part of its military offensive in Kyiv, Ukraine's capital. The threat has spawned a group of volunteer drone hunters — a group of Ukrainian judges who swap robes for camouflage to support the city's air defense.

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By day, Yevhen Mezentsev is a judge at Kyiv's administrative court. By night, he swaps his robes for camouflage and shoots down Russian Shahed drones with weapons from the World War I and World War II.

Forty judges have become volunteer drone hunters, calling themselves "Team Justice." Since judges are considered indispensable, they are not allowed to join Ukraine's military. However, their nightly volunteer work has become crucial to the Ukrainian capital's air defense as Russia's war in the country trudges on.