ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
With sophisticated American air defenses in increasingly short supply, Ukraine's been relying on its own methods to protect its skies from the Russian drones. NPR's Joanna Kakissis traveled to the Black Sea to watch one air defense team in action. And a warning - this report contains the sound of gunfire.
(SOUNDBITE OF FOOTSTEPS)
JOANNA KAKISSIS, BYLINE: It's early morning when we board a small Navy speedboat near the port of Odesa. Its crew, Artem, Ilia (ph) and Pirat, are inside. At the request of Ukraine's military, which cites security reasons, NPR is only using the soldiers' first name or call sign.
Artem is tall and bearded. He used to work as a car mechanic before the war. He climbs into a seat behind a large, mounted machine gun. He tells us to hang on as the speedboat departs.
ARTEM: (Speaking Ukrainian).
KAKISSIS: "It's going to get wet now," he says, and squints in the salty wind.
We're picking up speed now, and we're heading into the open sea - into the Black Sea.
For months after Russia's full-scale invasion, Russian warships blocked access to the Black Sea. Then Ukraine used sea drones to push out Russia's fleet. Now the Ukrainian Navy has speedboats on the Black Sea 24/7, searching the skies for attack drones.
ARTEM: (Speaking Ukrainian).
KAKISSIS: "So we spot the drones every time they head in our direction," Artem says. "Sometimes we see them every day for a week. Sometimes there is a lull." Russia says the drones only aim for military installations. Artem doesn't buy it.
ARTEM: (Speaking Ukrainian).
KAKISSIS: "I do not see the Russians targeting military objects," he says. "They are simply terrorizing the civilian population."
Ukraine's military also tries to protect Odesa on the ground by using antiaircraft missiles and snipers on trucks. Odesa is vulnerable because it's on the Black Sea coast says Ilia, the speedboat unit's commander.
ILIA: (Speaking Ukrainian).
KAKISSIS: "We work more than the air defense teams on land," he says. Ilia's wiry and baby-faced, leaning against the speedboat's guardrail. He joined the military a decade ago, when he was 17.
ILIA: (Speaking Ukrainian).
KAKISSIS: "When attack drones are on their way to Odesa," he says, "it's really up to us to intercept them." The crew shares a video with NPR that shows them aiming for drones.
(SOUNDBITE OF GUNFIRE)
KAKISSIS: In this clip, the crew is using the mounted machine gun to shoot down an Iranian-designed Shahed drone, which looks like a small plane and sounds like a giant lawnmower.
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KAKISSIS: A monitor shows a black triangle in the sky falling, trailed by black smoke. Ilia says the crew can only intercept about 30% of drones.
ILIA: (Speaking Ukrainian).
KAKISSIS: "The Russians launch them in such large groups," he says, "we cannot destroy them all."
Steering the speedboat is Pirat. A photo of his wife and baby son are on the dashboard. He says he thinks of them whenever his crew shatters an enemy drone.
PIRAT: (Speaking Ukrainian).
KAKISSIS: "We celebrate because that drone will not fly into someone's neighborhood," he says. His own neighborhood recently had a close call.
PIRAT: (Speaking Ukrainian).
KAKISSIS: "That really got to me," Pirat says, "because the drone hit a building close to my family."
Destroying a drone can sometimes put the crew at risk. Pirat recalls one incident earlier this month.
PIRAT: (Speaking Ukrainian).
KAKISSIS: "The drone did not explode," he says, "and it was nosediving toward us. We maneuvered around it, and it fell very close to the stern." Pirat pauses and stares ahead.
PIRAT: (Speaking Ukrainian).
KAKISSIS: "Maybe," he says, "the war will end someday, and the Black Sea will again be filled with sailing yachts."
(SOUNDBITE OF ENGINE WHIRRING)
KAKISSIS: Russian drones often strike at night, and on this morning, the sky is clear. Pirat touches the photo of his wife and baby, then steers the speedboat toward the horizon.
Joanna Kakissis, NPR News, reporting from the Black Sea.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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