Ukrainians turn to shotguns as Russian drones hunt civilians

As Russian attack drones increasingly target civilians in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, residents are turning to an unlikely weapon for protection: the shotgun.

At a shooting range in the city, gun dealer Volodymyr Sukhomlyn says demand has shifted sharply from rifles to semiautomatic shotguns as Russian first-person-view (FPV) drones become a growing threat on the streets and outskirts of Zaporizhzhia, The New York Post writes. 

Before the war, 12-gauge and 20-gauge shotguns were primarily sporting weapons used for hunting animals such as ducks, hares and foxes. Now, residents are buying them as a last line of defence against drones capable of carrying explosives directly to their targets.

“When the war first broke out, it was mainly rifles that people wanted,” Sukhomlyn, a 46-year-old father of three, told The Post.

“Now it’s shotguns that are in demand. If you train properly, your chances of bringing an FPV down are quite high. Although it may come for you while you try to shoot it, so you need a very steady nerve.”

Zaporizhzhia, a city of about 750,000 people on the Dnipro River, remains a key industrial centre. Russian ground forces are still around 20 miles southeast of the city, according to the report, but Russian forces continue to attack it with FPV drones, missiles and Iranian-made Shahed drones.

The attacks have increasingly affected civilian areas. A recent overnight Shahed strike hit a shopping mall about a mile from where the reporter was staying. It was reportedly the third shopping mall struck in two months, alongside attacks on gas stations, coffee stands and private homes.

Sukhomlyn operates his shooting range in an underground basement at a former Soviet industrial site, which he describes jokingly as “one of the few safe places to be.”

Many customers are soldiers, but civilian demand is also increasing. Outdoor rifle ranges have become unavailable because of the drone threat, while the underground facility offers urban-combat training.

Shotguns have been used by Ukrainian troops on the frontline because their pellets spread across a wider area, potentially increasing the chance of hitting a fast-moving drone.

“To start off, it was mainly people living in the countryside on the southern outskirts of Zaporizhzhia who were buying shotguns,” Sukhomlyn said.

“A lot of them are farmers, and some even keep one in their tractor or combine harvester when they’re out in the fields.”

“But more recently it’s been bus drivers and cabbies buying them, too — anyone who is out on the streets a lot.”

The growing threat was illustrated by an FPV attack that injured several people at a supermarket and another drone strike that hit the upper floors of a government building.

“I heard it coming and we had to hide in a shop when it exploded,” said Julia Sologub, 31. “It used to be just a problem for soldiers — now it’s one for civilians, too.”

Some Ukrainian shooting ranges have introduced computer-simulated and virtual-reality training for people learning how to respond to FPVs. But shooting down the drones remains difficult: they can weave through the air, reach speeds of 100 mph or more and may detonate their payload if hit at close range.

Pip, a US military volunteer serving with Ukraine’s Armed Forces, recalled being chased by an FPV while driving away from the battlefield.

“We were just about to reach for our shotgun, but then luckily the drone ran out of battery and crashed to the ground. You can bring one down with a shotgun, but it’s certainly not easy. It all depends on the distance, the skill of the enemy pilot — and your own nerves.”

By Sabina Mammadli