How geeks of war mobilized Ukraine drone operations

Volunteers have been the lifeline of various frontline units since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Former tech workers have led the charge in driving innovation for the Ukrainian army, leveraging the creativity and resourcefulness of the Ukrainian people to resist a larger power.

The Russo-Ukrainian war has underscored the vital role volunteers will play in future conflicts, such as a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, and how ordinary people eventually will have a role to play in aiding the resistance.

Creating an organization to support the Army

Dmytro Zhluktenko, who is also known as Dimko,(a nickname he adopted to make it easier for foreigners to say his name) is a 25-year-old former software engineer who once worked on Airbus and Boeing products.

Originally from Rivne, Ukraine, he lived a comfortable lifestyle in Ukraine prior to the full-scale invasion. Everything changed as Russian tanks invaded Ukraine and Russian bombs were being dropped on Ukrainian cities across the country. Speaking to Frontsight Media, Zhluktenko said that he made the decision, driven by a deep sense of duty to his homeland and his loved ones, to join the resistance.

“I am just an ordinary Ukrainian trying to help his country. I was born in 1998 in a free and independent Ukraine,” Zhluktenko said. He spoke with great warmth about his upbringing and how much he enjoyed his life and work before the war, which seemed to allow him to daydream about what peace in Ukraine might look like again.

Early on “my girlfriend and I agreed we would not abandon Ukraine, no matter what would come,” Zhlutenko recalled from the early days of the war. He made a promise to commit one year of his life to working on his volunteer efforts.

When the