Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 1,497
Russian Attacks and Private Sector Air Defense
Russia pummeled Ukraine with 442 Shahed and other types of drones, as well as a hypersonic Kinzhal missile, on March 29, wreaking havoc across the country. One of the targets was the provincial town of Starokostiantyniv, home to one of the most important airfields in western Ukraine. Ukraine’s Air Force downed 380 drones, but strikes landed in at least seven locations. Later in the day, three civilians were killed, including a 13-year-old boy, in a glide bomb attack on the key city of Kramatorsk in the Ukrainian-controlled part of Donetsk province in the country’s east.
The attacks came just five days after Russia’s most expansive aerial assault on Ukraine to date. On March 24, Moscow unleashed close to 1,000 airborne projectiles in an attack so protracted that it spilled from night into daytime. Amid this aerial escalation, Ukraine’s Minister of Defense Mykhailo Fedorov announced the first successful deployment of “private-sector air defense units” to shoot down Russian drones using home-grown interceptor systems.
According to Fedorov, several Russian Shahed and Zala drones were intercepted by a private air defense team in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region. “Private air defense is already working,” Fedorov said on March 30, noting that the pilot program was launched in late 2025, with units formed by private entities integrated into the Air Force to bolster national defense and free up troops for frontline duties.
At least 13 additional companies have been authorized to establish similar units, according to the Defense Ministry. However, these groups are at varying stages of readiness, with some already conducting missions, while others remain in training. At the same time, key aspects of the initiative remain opaque, as public information on how these units are funded or structured, particularly in their early stages, remains limited.
Zelenskyy Courts Gulf States
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy secured a series of defense agreements with Gulf states during a rapid tour of the region last week. Ukraine has signed deals with Qatar and Saudi Arabia and is preparing an agreement with the United Arab Emirates focused on countering missiles and drones.
“We are talking about a 10-year cooperation,” Zelenskyy said, underscoring Kyiv’s interest in a long-term partnership. The agreements come as Iran has stepped up drone and missile attacks in the Gulf following U.S.-Israeli strikes, creating an opening for Kyiv to capitalize on its hard-earned expertise countering such attacks for years. Ukraine, now one of the leading producers of drone interceptors, has dispatched more than 200 specialists to the region since the war erupted in late February. “Surely no one else can help in this way today,” Zelenskyy said. “No one else possesses such experience,” he said.
But as Ukraine gains recognition for its expertise in drone manufacturing, the head of one of Europe’s largest defense contractors provided a more skeptical assessment in a recent interview with The Atlantic. Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall, a concern best known for churning out tanks, played down the element of innovation in Ukraine’s drone industry, dismissing it as akin to “housewives with 3-D printers in the kitchen” and likened its weapons production to “playing with Legos.”
His remarks triggered backlash in Ukraine. “Yes, Europe’s defense is powered by Ukrainian ‘housewives,'” posted Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko of Ukraine on X. In response, Rheinmetall issued a brief statement on X on Sunday, March 29, expressing its respect for the “Ukrainian people’s immense effort” in the war against Russia, though it did not directly address Papperger’s critique.
In return for its assistance, Ukraine is seeking access to advanced air-defense systems and, crucially, energy supplies from its Gulf allies. Zelenskyy said that Kyiv has secured agreements for diesel deliveries for at least a year, a critical buffer amid volatile global fuel markets in the wake of the U.S. war against Iran. “Simple sales do not interest us,” he said. “We want systemic relationships, where exporters earn revenue, and Ukraine receives sufficient funds to invest in domestic production.”
Ukraine consumes roughly 700,000 tons of fuel per month, and officials have warned that supply disruptions, exacerbated by halted diesel exports from Slovakia and Hungary, could not only strain Ukraine’s economy but also cripple its war effort.
In parallel, Zelenskyy indicated growing frustration with parts of Ukraine’s defense industry. He claimed that at least 10 interceptor drone production facilities had been built abroad “behind the state’s back,” raising concerns about oversight and export controls. Since the beginning of the war, Ukraine has banned the export of weapons to other countries, which periodically sparks backlash within Ukraine, as the government cannot fully contract the production capacity of the domestic defense manufacturers.
In one case, Zelenskyy said, a private company reportedly sold 1,000 interceptors for $3.5 million to a foreign buyer despite holding a 300 million Euro state contract. “Frankly speaking, it sounds quite unserious,” Zelenskyy said, suggesting that such deals risk undermining Ukraine’s strategic interests.
Ukraine has scaled up drone production at a remarkable speed, capable, according to Zelenskyy, of producing up to 2,000 interceptors per day, though funding gaps currently limit output to about half that number. However, the proliferation of private manufacturers, some operating outside of direct state oversight, raises the risk of technology leakage, particularly in regions where Russian intelligence remains particularly active.
By Danylo Nosov, Karina L. Tahiliani
