Student makes parts for bombs and drones for Ukraine

A student from Groningen makes parts for drones and casings for explosives for Ukrainian soldiers. “I now know that as an individual you can indeed make an impact.”

In his student room in Groningen a student has been producing equipment for the Ukrainian army for a year and a half, writes university magazine UKrant. He does this together with two fellow students.

3D printer

With the help of a 3D printer they make parts of drones and casings for explosives that Ukrainian soldiers can use. “In the meantime the three of us have printed more than seven thousand parts”, the student says.

When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, students in several places in the Netherlands took action to support the country. For example, a student from Nijmegen set off at the time with a bus full of relief supplies to the border and in Tilburg a collection point for relief supplies was set up.

The Groningen student, who himself comes from Eastern Europe, initially also started with humanitarian work. Through other volunteers he is said to have ended up in a ‘hidden network’ that is active in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Duct tape

Besides parts for drones and explosives, he and two fellow students also build power banks from broken e-bike batteries. “This war is being held together by duct tape and volunteer work”, the student says. “I now know that as an individual you can indeed make an impact.”

Whether students more often provide military support to Ukraine is unclear. “There are many people who are supporting the country”, says an employee of Eyes on Ukraine, a non-profit organisation for Ukraine. “But we do not know who is a student and who is not. Moreover, military support is not permitted, so I cannot say anything about that.”