2023-04-22 18:20:53
Tanks and vehicles, air defense systems and dugout canoes all need to be hidden from enemy view, so that their destruction and loss of life is less likely.
Ukrainians are rushing to weave camouflage nets for their soldiers whose demand is growing with the arrival of new teams at the front that have to be hidden from the threat of drones and enemy artillery.
Although the attacks of “human waves” of Russian infantry in Bakhmut are news all over the world, this war is still an artillery war. Both sides search for ground targets using thousands of drones. However, Russia continues to enjoy the upper hand here, firing three times as many shells per day as Ukraine.
Tanks and vehicles, air defense systems and canoes, all must be hidden from the enemy’s view, so that their destruction and loss of life is less likely, he explained to Efe. Solomia Rybotytskaa volunteer.
Every detail matters when a well-made camouflage net is all that protects a soldier from being detected and bombarded.
“A good quality net has to be strong, light in weight and blend in well with the environment,” explains Solomia at one of the more than 15 volunteer centers in Lepolis that have so far produced some 1,000 camouflage nets.
“More military equipment is coming, our army is getting bigger. Lepolis, Jarkov, Odesa, Kiev, all our cities are producing nets, but we need more and more,” he adds. He shows a long list of requests from about 10 Ukrainian army units that involves a 3-month job, with at least one 9×6 meter net woven every day. Accumulated experience with trial and error as well as soldier feedback have helped establish a manufacturing process that runs smoothly.
“We use Ukrainian-made fishing nets as the base for each camouflage net. The volunteers then weave green, yellow or brown strips through the grid cells to create a cover while being careful to avoid any recognizable patterns,” Solomia explains as her hands move rapidly over the grid.
Manual labor cannot be replaced by automated production because it is extremely important avoid patternswhich enemy drones can easily detect among the natural vegetation.
On average, several dozen people show up every day. Some come only occasionally to knit for a couple of hours after work while others have come almost daily for over a year, like Nadiaa resident of Lepolis, and Nina, who moved here from Kharkov…
Nadia shows a photo of a 26-year-old soldier who died in combat in early April. His sister, a professor at the university, often comes here to weave nets. “It may seem that the war is far from us here, in Lepolis. But we keep losing our brothers, our sons, our best fighters, and we want to help protect them,” stresses Solomia.
Nina he has his nephew fighting in the army and smiles as she continues to knit rapidly, when asked what he tells her about the war.
“He always says that everything will be fine because that’s how it has to bethere is no other way”, he answers. By helping soldiers to hide from danger, camouflage nets support them psychologically, relieving the stress of having their lives at constant risk.
In turn, their gratitude inspires volunteers to work hardersays Solomia, proudly displaying the letters her team received from various units of the Ukrainian army.
“This letter from Druzhkivka, in the Donetsk region, reminds me that our guys are going through hell there. If I feel tired, it’s enough for me to think about what our soldiers are experiencing at any time in the trenches, and I’m ready to get back to work,” she says. Any show of support from abroad is greatly appreciated as volunteers count several stories of foreigners coming specifically to help them weave networks.
“One of them came from Germany and he stayed here two weeks. Asked about his motivation, he said that his mother had taught him to do good to others”, recalls Solomia.
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