July 16, 2026 — Local fishing nets, once bound for recycling, are now saving lives in Ukraine. The spent nets are being repurposed to protect soldiers from Russian drone attacks.
In the early morning hours of Feb. 24, 2022 Russia invaded Ukraine. At the time, Russian President Vladimir Putin called it a “special military operation.” Now, nearly four-and-a-half years later, the war rages on. And it’s a new kind of warfare, where small armed drones supplement expensive missiles.
A new kind of warfare requires new defense strategies. And, it turns out, fishing nets are an effective tool against exploding drones.
Eric Klose, founder of the Boston-based impact-first investment group Ground Squirrel Ventures learned this on a visit to Ukraine last year. While there, he met with some humanitarian groups, and he posed a question:
“If I could fix one thing, what would you want it to be?”
The answer was simple, and surprising – nets.
Nets cover hundreds of miles of roadways near the front line. They are draped over trees to protect gathering places. They cover trenches, and bombed-out windows and doors.
Big trawling nets, seine nets, and even thin-filament gill nets play a role.
Klose said soldiers cut gill nets into strips and keep them in their packs to use for emergency cover. They seal up openings like bombed-out windows and doors on the front lines.