Ukraine Offers Civilians Rs 2 Lakh A Month To Shoot Down Russian Drones

Last Updated:June 11, 2025, 23:46 IST

Ukraine to pay civilians ₹2.2 lakh a month for shooting down Russian drones under new program.

A member of the Ukrainian State Border Guard Service from an anti-drone mobile air defence unit takes part in a training, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa region, Ukraine. (IMAGE: REUTERS)

Ukraine will pay civilians up to 100,000 hryvnias (around ₹2.2 lakh or $2,400) a month to shoot down Russian drones as part of a new volunteer program approved by the government, Ukrainian news agency Kyiv Post said in a report.

The initiative, proposed by the Ministry of Defence, was cleared by the Cabinet of Ministers and announced by government representative Taras Melnychuk on Telegram.

The payments will come from local budgets and the scheme will operate during martial law for a maximum period of two years.

Drones have become central to both Russian and Ukrainian strategy, employed for surveillance, kamikaze strikes and air-defence suppression. Russia extensively deploys Iranian-made Shahed kamikazes to target Ukrainian infrastructure and energy grids, launching hundreds in waves that disable power systems and disrupt lives.

Ukraine, in turn, fields an expanding drone arsenal. Drones such as Turkish Bayraktar TB2s and homegrown FPV and AI-enabled models like those in “Operation Spiderweb" are capable of deep strikes on Russian bases, fuel depots, ammunition stores and airfields.

The new Ukrainian drone defense program will enlist trained volunteers and members of paramilitary and territorial defense units with drone operation skills.

Under the government-backed scheme, these recruits will help counter Russian aerial threats by spotting, tracking, and shooting down enemy drones using UAVs, firearms, or piloted aircraft.

Meanwhile, fresh Russian strikes on Ukraine’s northeastern city of Kharkiv killed three people and wounded 60 others, including children, on Wednesday, authorities told news agency AFP, as Moscow pushed ahead with attacks after rejecting an unconditional ceasefire.

Ukraine said it had received the bodies of more than 1,200 soldiers, handed over by Moscow, part of a repatriation deal the two sides agreed at talks last week.

Russia has fired record numbers of drones and missiles at Ukraine over recent weeks, escalating three years of daily bombardments as it outlines hardline demands — rejected by Kyiv as “ultimatums" — to halt its three-year invasion.

The northeastern city of Kharkiv, just 30 kilometres (18 miles) from the Russian border, again bore the brunt of the attack.

Kyiv, Ukraine

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