From basement to battlefield: Ukrainian startups create low-cost robots to fight Russia

Andrii Denysenko, CEO of design and production bureau "UkrPrototyp," stands by Odyssey, an 800-kilogram ground drone prototype, at a corn field in northern Ukraine, June 28, 2024. Serhii, chief engineer of design and production bureau "UkrPrototyp," works on a 3D model of a car-sized 800-kilogram prototype ground drone, in northern Ukraine, June 27, 2024. Engineers of design and production bureau "UkrPrototyp" work on new parts for a ground drone, in northern Ukraine, June 27, 2024.

Struggling with manpower shortages, overwhelming odds and uneven international assistance, Ukraine hopes to find a strategic edge against Russia in an abandoned warehouse or a factory basement.