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cover of episode Inside a Drone Factory in Ukraine

Inside a Drone Factory in Ukraine

2025/5/23
logo of podcast State of the World from NPR

State of the World from NPR

AI Deep Dive AI Chapters Transcript
People
A
Andriy Yuhno
K
Kristina Pashenko
O
Oleh Halaidich
O
Oleksandr Kamyshin
O
Oleksii Babenko
S
Sasha Potashnik
Topics
Andriy Yuhno: 我在战争开始后,觉得必须做点什么,所以开始制造无人机,最初是运送食物和药品等物资。我们从运送物资开始,然后逐渐扩大规模,制造更大的无人机。现在我们制造的无人机主要用于前线作战,为士兵提供支持。这些无人机是我们的安保,可以帮助我们更好地保护自己。 Kristina Pashenko: 我之前从事互联网搜索优化工作,但现在我离开了那个工作,因为我想做一些更有意义的事情。现在我在这里焊接电路板,为前线士兵制造无人机。我为自己能做一些有用的事情感到兴奋和自豪。前线士兵感谢使用我们无人机的视频,极大地激励了我,让我觉得我的工作很有价值。 Oleksii Babenko: 乌克兰要保持强大,唯一的方法就是所有东西都在乌克兰制造,包括士兵和生产商。我们不能总是依赖其他国家,必须自力更生,才能在战争中生存下去。我们致力于生产完全由乌克兰制造的无人机,以确保我们的士兵能够获得他们需要的装备。 Oleksandr Kamyshin: 这是一场技术竞赛,双方都在不断地反制对方的技术创新。一旦一方开发出新的技术,另一方就会试图找到应对方法,然后又需要新的解决方案。这场战争不仅仅是军事上的对抗,也是技术上的较量。乌克兰和俄罗斯都在不断地改进他们的无人机技术,以获得优势。 Sasha Potashnik: 我们必须更现实,虽然想收回所有土地,但从一开始就高估了自己的能力,而且在对抗一个非常强大的敌人,我们必须保持清醒。最令人警醒的是,乌克兰最大的盟友美国可能要抛弃乌克兰。我们不能指望别人来帮助我们,必须依靠自己的力量来赢得战争。 Oleh Halaidich: 制造无人机可能是帮助乌克兰最快、最有影响力的方式。现在是做出不同决定的时刻,科学研究太慢了,我们需要立即采取行动来保护自己。我虽然是一名科学家,但我认为现在最重要的是为国家做出贡献,所以我选择制造无人机,为前线士兵提供支持。

Deep Dive

Chapters
The war in Ukraine has driven significant advancements in drone technology, with Ukraine producing approximately two million UAVs last year. These drones range in size and are manufactured in various settings, from high-tech factories to smaller, less resourced operations. The conflict has fostered a technological arms race between Ukraine and Russia, constantly pushing both sides to innovate.
  • Ukraine produced 2 million UAVs last year
  • Drones are a key component in the war between Russia and Ukraine
  • Ukraine and Russia are in a technological arms race regarding drone innovation

Shownotes Transcript

Throughout the more than three years since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, drones have been a key tool and weapon used by both sides in the conflict. Because of this, Ukraine is at the cutting edge of drone innovation, churning out some two million unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, last year. These flying drones come in all sizes and they're produced in factories large and high-tech, as well as small and shoestring. In today's episode, NPR's Eleanor Beardsley takes us inside a drone-making operation in Kyiv.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices)NPR Privacy Policy)