Ukraine has been defending itself from a war Russia started more than four years ago - but it also has an army working for it across Europe.
DrukArmy, or PrintArmy, is the name of a volunteer organization whose activists mass-produce small plastic parts using 3D printers. In Ukrainian, the group is called Drukarmija.
The non-profit prints almost everything that Ukraine's soldiers and rescue workers need to fend off the Russian invasion: drone accessories, sealing caps, tablet mounts, battery and lamp casings and medical supplies.
In Germany, volunteers such as Chris, Yevhen and master craftsman Will take on print jobs. For security reasons, they use pseudonyms online.
"For me, it is a question of justice," says Chris, a tradesman. When Russian troops invaded Ukraine in February 2022, he initially helped refugees. He then wanted to keep up the support but did not want to donate money. "That is where I ended up with 3D printing."
Hundreds of euros every month
"I am someone who prints a lot," says Chris. Four devices in his garage work around the clock pumping out 10 to 15 kilograms of parts every week. That costs money, which he considers his contribution to Ukraine's defence. He estimates "€400 ($463) to €500 a month is easy for me" to spend on his operation.
Will's help for Ukraine also began with taking in refugees. When the engineer heard about Drukarmija, he remembered his 3D printer in the cellar.
"Now I let it run for a good cause." Ukraine is also defending Germany against Russia's "dictatorial government," he says, explaining his involvement. "It is about preserving our freedom."
Soldiers order plastic parts online
Drukarmija is not the only 3D printing initiative in Ukraine, but it is the largest, according to information on its website. It has almost 3,000 printing activists with about 7,000 devices, says co-founder Jake (Yevhen) Volnov. About 600 people are taking part from outside Ukraine, he says. "The German hub is one of the biggest."
From a bunker in Kiev, Volnov runs the printing army, which works like an online shop, only free of charge. Soldiers at the front, paramedics and firefighters register what they need. So-called curators post the print jobs online; volunteers download the data for their printers and get to work.
The finished parts are sent to the parts coordinator, checked and then shipped to the front. From Germany, the little plastic parts usually travel to Ukraine as additional cargo in small vans or shared taxis. About 1,500 individual parts can be ordered, Volnov says.
Large defence contractors not impressed
Drukarmija is one of thousands of civil society organizations whose volunteer efforts make Ukraine's survival in the war possible. It is also part of a new kind of armaments sector with a start-up mentality.
But the ingenuity is not accepted by all. The chief executive of German defence group Rheinmetall, Armin Papperger, recently dismissed the concept as "Ukrainian housewives" producing drone parts on 3D printers in their kitchens. That was met with a laugh from Volnov and his collaborators.
"This war has shown that equipment costing millions is useless against a drone that costs only $1,000," Volnov says. Ukraine has hardly any access to expensive weapons systems. So it builds weapons that are more flexible, cheaper and in high numbers, like the drones that have halted Russia's advance for the time being.
Caution with orders abroad
German volunteers at Drukarmija are not allowed to print everything. "We do not outsource orders abroad for parts that could theoretically be classified as weapons," Volnov says. Plastic parts for weapons and ammunition are printed in Ukraine, at least according to the official information.
By contrast, dummy munitions for training purposes do come from Germany, including anti-tank mines or cluster munitions with colourful plastic fins that children often reach for.
"It is about showing civilians that you do not touch something like that," says Yevhen. He helped develop such dummies that are shown in schools, among other places.
'I cannot stand on the sidelines'
The native Ukrainian, now an IT specialist in southern Germany, has been printing for three years. "I never thought this war would happen. I never thought I would take part in it. That goes against my values as a scientist," he says. "But I cannot stand on the sidelines."
A recent order: models of human bones so that search teams on the battlefields have something to compare with. Chris shows orthopaedic aids in his garage that he has printed. Soldiers who have lost limbs get covers to protect their prostheses. Chris prints plastic handles for vein finders for the Munich-based project Energy for Ukraine. They allow paramedics to find veins on injured people under red light, even in the dark.
Search for used e-bike batteries
"We develop and build electrical aid devices for Ukraine," says Max Uzunov of Energy for Ukraine. He and other volunteers solder together torches and power banks as well as vein finders. The rough green plastic for the casings comes from Ukraine. The power banks use recycled batteries from e-bikes. "The main problem is getting used batteries," Uzunov says.
The devices are used when Ukrainian rescue workers treat the injured after airstrikes. Or the parts are dropped by drones over Ukrainian positions so that soldiers have an energy source.
"I solder almost every day and understand what it is for," Uzunov says. When a reaction comes from Ukraine, "that is the reward."
