Old Estonian fishing nets now protecting Ukraine from drones
Old fishing nets from Saaremaa are finding a new use in Ukraine, where they are being deployed as makeshift protection against Russian drones.
Sending used fishing nets to Ukraine is nothing new for Estonia, but initially, the nets were made into camouflage netting. Now they are also being used to help protect against drones.
Margus and Hillar, who help organize aid deliveries to Ukraine, said they've already transported several truckloads of nets donated by Saaremaa fishers. Margus said the material goes directly to the front, where locals determine how best to use it.
"We may plan today for it to go to one city, but that city may not even be standing tomorrow," Margus explained.
The nets, he said, are used to block large openings that drones could otherwise fly through.
Hillar estimated that around 50 metric tons of fishing nets have already been sent to Ukraine over the past two years, with each trip carrying hundreds of kilograms of nets or more.
"Margus is hauling half a ton or a ton of them from here today," he added.
The deliveries also give old fishing gear from Estonia's largest island a new purpose. Much of it would probably have little practical use in Saaremaa today, where some old nets have already simply been burned.
Hillar said a traditional stick fish trap from the village of Koguva is also headed to Ukraine, after he cuts it apart so the material can be flattened.
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Editor: Aleksander Krjukov, Aili Vahtla
