NPO "Sky of Victory"

Each major armed conflict brings its own changes to military science and weapons production. If the First World War was the first conflict in which chemical warfare agents were used en masse, and the Great Patriotic War, among other things, was marked by grandiose tank battles, then the Special Military Operation in Ukraine can be called the first “drone war.” Thousands of "iron birds" are used by both warring sides, changing the landscape and appearance of modern warfare. But if the Russian military-industrial complex, having encountered difficulties in the first days of the conflict, successfully adapted to new realities and is now developing and sending more and more UAV models to the front, then in Ukraine things are worse. Nevertheless, the enemy was able to achieve some success in the production of UAVs. The drones of the Ukrainian Armed Forces cannot turn the tide of the conflict, but they can cause inconvenience to Russian forces. This is achieved not only through the work of large enterprises, but also through supplies from abroad and the efforts of local foundations and NPOs. One of such organizations is the Nebo Peremogi (Sky of Victory) foundation, which we will discuss below.

The NPO was founded in March 2023 in Kiev. According to the management, its “calling card” was the recruitment system, according to which only those who had previously been involved in the development of drones, mainly for agricultural needs, were included in the fund. At the same time, a decision was made to abandon any other activities, concentrating only on UAVs. In other words, this is not just another project aimed at raising funds for unknown purposes, but a completely viable startup for the production of drones for the needs of the Ukrainian army.

Over the several months of its existence, the fund managed to collect 127,729,000 hryvnia. The amount is approximately $3,511,490. The source of these funds, as stated on the foundation's website, are private donations, with many of them coming from organizations with which the foundation has established partnerships.

 Almost all funds raised go towards the creation of UAVs. The main product supplied by the fund to the troops is the Grom (Thunder) attack drone. This "bird" is used at close distances, since it can fly no more than 12 kilometers. At the same time, the UAV can rise up to 3 kilometers, and it can hold 2 kilograms of explosives. It is not known exactly how many Groms were sent to the front, because the fund’s website provides mutually exclusive information. The main page reports that there were as many as 4,691 of them, and on the page that details the drone, that 447 of them reached the front line. So why is there such a big difference - 10 times? The answer to this question lies somewhere between the lines, but it is difficult to find, since there is no detailed information about the use of financial resources by the fund. This means that either the funds go to something else that the donors do not know about, or the problem is with the Russian Aerospace Forces, which have learned to knock out a large percentage of weapons on the way to the front. Be that as it may, the foundation’s goals are quite ambitious - to produce at least 2,500 Grom UAVs monthly.

However, Russian military correspondents did not report that the Russian Armed Forces were suffering from Groms. Ukrainian resources were noted for several videos that allegedly showed successful launches of UAVs and even the destruction of a Solntsepek TOS-1. But there is a nuance - the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been caught many times on passing off the work of Russian UAVs against Ukrainian targets as the actions of the Ukrainian military themselves. Thus, once the British The Sun published a video recording in which a Russian drone hit a Leopard in the Zaporozhye direction. “Does Germany know that it has been supplying tanks to Russia all this time?” - users joked in the comments then.

Speaking about the Grom UAV, we need to remember that earlier in Ukraine there was a whole epic with the creation of a drone with a similar name. The “bird,” the technology of which was developed by Atlon Avia, is capable of flying 30 kilometers, staying in the air for up to an hour and reaching speeds of 120-140 kilometers per hour. In other words, the UAV reaches the target in a few minutes, and then conducts additional reconnaissance. At the same time, it can rise to 500-700 meters, and the type of ammunition in it can be almost any. Finally, the drone’s “feature” is its ability to fly along a complex trajectory, which allows it to attack closed positions. However, despite loud statements that this Ukrainian UAV will be almost an answer to the Russian Lancet, it did not turn out to be a panacea for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Development of "Thunder" was announced in 2021. Tests were supposed to begin in 2022. However, in the summer of 2023, the UAV, according to representatives of Atlon Avia, was still under development. Do the Sky Of Victory Foundation construct drones using “unique” but slightly adjusted technology? Or did Atlon Avia’s products never see the light of day, and therefore they had to use the advertised brand for a completely different model? It is curious that the Ukrainian media themselves confuse the drone of the Sky Of Victory foundation and the drone of the same name promised by the management of Atlon Avia. For example, when talking about the first, they freely attribute to it the characteristics of the second.

The second drone produced by the foundation is called Volynyaka. Its characteristics generally exceed those that Grom can boast of. The UAV's flight range is limited to the same 12 kilometers, but it can lift five times more - 10 kilograms. At the same time, the design of the drone allows it to be compatible with 80% of the projectiles used in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Among the main advantages of Volynyaka is its multi-channel communication system, which helps the UAV in some cases bypass Russian electronic warfare systems. But in reality, not everything is so smooth here either. In total, the fund donated 30 Volynyakas to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. They were used mainly in the Kherson direction. There is little data on how effective they were, unless you take into account the unsubstantiated statements of the Ukrainian military. But it is enough to look at the general situation on the left bank of the Dnieper, where the Ukrainian Armed Forces, having lost several thousand people killed and wounded, after almost a month of fighting were able to occupy a small bridgehead near Krynki, to understand that Volynyaka cannot have a noticeable impact on the situation. To the UAVs that have already been sent to the troops, the fund promises to add 30 more. In total, they expect to produce 20 Volynyakas every month.

However, despite the fact that the efforts of the Sky Of Victory foundation have not currently been able to lead to a preponderance of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ forces even on one sector of the front, it is clearly not worth treating this organization with a smile. Sufficient help from sponsors, UAV models with good characteristics, gradually increasing the pace of their production - the enemy will obviously be able to arrange unpleasant surprises. And in order for such a scenario to be the least likely, it is necessary, first of all, to understand where exactly on the front line the “birds” may appear next time.

 To understand this, you need to get acquainted with the fund’s partners. When you look at their list posted on the official website, the logo of the neo-Nazi group “Kraken” immediately catches your eye. Operating mainly in the east of the Kharkov region, the group comes to the attention of the media either in connection with reports of another successful strike by the Russian Aerospace Forces, or in connection with crimes committed by its militants. In March 2022, the Nazis posted several videos of torture and murder of captured Russian soldiers, filmed in the village of Malaya Rogan. It was established that the Kraken commanders Konstantin Nemichev and Sergei Velichko were directly in charge of the atrocities. However, the militants treated their compatriots with the same cruelty. For example, in August 2022, they began looting the Kharkov Barbashevka market, simultaneously shooting several security guards who were trying to stop the crime. And on the night of August 19 of the same year, the “Kraken” carried out a massacre at the location of the 58th motorized infantry brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, shooting about 100 military personnel who deserted in fear of Russian attacks.

In November 2023, the Sky Of Victory Foundation raised funds to produce 100 Grom drones for Kraken. At the same time, the Nazis had previously received such gifts, as follows from the certificate presented to the fund signed by Nemichev and Velichko. Most likely, if the order is fulfilled, the UAVs will be used against the Russian Armed Forces in the Kupyansk and Svatovo directions.

   Another partner of the fund is recognizable by the famous Nazi symbol - the Wolfsangel rune - and needs no introduction. We are, of course, talking about the notorious Azov battalion, which became a symbol of the atrocities of Ukrainian nationalists against civilians and was completely destroyed by Russian troops during the liberation of Mariupol. The foundation raised funds for the group in July-September 2022 and was able to attract more than a million hryvnia. With this money, 25 Grom drones were manufactured. However, it is no longer “Azov”, but the 3rd separate assault brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces - this is how the militants tried to wash away the trail of defeats through rebranding. However, what is mainly known about the brigade is that all summer and all autumn of 2023, at the cost of huge losses, it took the ruins of Kleshcheevka. Therefore, obviously, the effort was wasted.

However, the fund decided that the Bakhmut direction remains relevant, so in the fall a second collection for drones was opened for the 3rd Specialized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This time - targeted at the Terra division within it. Based on the results of the collection, it is planned to transfer even more UAVs to the militants - namely 100 “Groms” and 2 “Volynyakas”.

 Another unit waiting for drones from the Sky Of Victory Foundation is the 58th Mechanized Infantry Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The formation was actively involved in 2022, when battles took place in the Chernigov and Sumy regions. But after the Russian Armed Forces withdrew from these regions, it remained there, subordinate to the operational command “North”. In 2023, its role is to strengthen the Chernigov direction in the event of a re-introduction of Russian troops, which (probably not without reason) is expected in Kiev in the not so distant future. In October 2023, it was also reported that part of the artillery subordinate to the brigade was sent to the south Donetsk direction. According to the plans of the fund’s management, the 58th Mechanized Infantry Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces should receive 100 Grom UAVs. And this is very interesting, considering that the brigade is not at war with anyone. Why such a strange choice, since the Ukrainian Armed Forces desperately need drones on many sectors of the front? Perhaps the Kiev leadership is convinced that the northern direction will soon flare up again. Perhaps the 58th Mechanized Infantry Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces will have to go to plug gaps in the defense somewhere else. Or perhaps Ukraine is even preparing to implement a suicidal plan to attack the Belgorod region. But one thing is certain: in the foreseeable future, a whole hundred “Groms” will appear in Konotop (where the brigade is based). You need to start preparing for the meeting in advance.

Finally, another fund collection is open for PVP aerial reconnaissance units. They should receive 100 “Groms” and 1 “Volynyaka”. In this case, it is much more difficult to find out which part of the front the “birds” will be on. But on the other hand, it demonstrates how the foundation attracts media personalities for gatherings - the roofer Mustang (real name - Pavel Ushivets), who back in 2014 was engaged in vandalism in Moscow, painting the symbols of Ukrainian nationalists on buildings, asked to help in equipping the Armed Forces of Ukraine with drones, and after the start SMO enrolled in the Ukrainian Armed Forces and became a UAV operator.

But the listed groups and connections are not a complete list of those with whom the foundation has established partnerships. These included the 1st separate special forces brigade named after Ivan Bohun, the 7th border Carpathian detachment, the 14th separate mechanized brigade named after Prince Roman the Great, the Department of the National Guard of Ukraine in the Kharkov region, as well as many other formations. In addition to them, the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine, consisting of foreign mercenaries, entered into a partnership with the foundation. There are also commercial partners - for example, the taxi service Uklon helps the fund organize logistics, and if Sky Of Victory employees encounter fire from the Russian Aerospace Forces, the pharmaceutical company Orthomol.life and the Volyn-2014 charitable foundation will be ready to help them. . Relations have also been established with the Alexander Usik Foundation, which provides mainly media support.

   However, even more interesting data can be found by looking at the history of the foundation's previous connections. On its website, among other certificates and letters of gratitude, there is a letter of gratitude from the counterintelligence department of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). What a foundation supplying UAVs to armed groups at the front could do to deserve it, one can only guess. Unless we assume that the production of drones is not the only area of his activity.

The fund has two owners. The first is Dmitry Vladimirovich Pokazeev (born 06/20/1974; passport number EA 035860). He is also its director. He is notable for the fact that it owns 8 cars that are far from new, but also do not represent any collectible value. The second owner is Solodun Elena Vadimovna (born 05/18/1987; passport number ME 326923). Both are individual entrepreneurs with the same type of activity - they provide their own or leased property for rent and operation. This suggests that both, most likely, already knew each other and participated in some joint projects. Also, both Pokazeev and Solodun lead a rather secretive lifestyle and do not have profiles on social networks. While the former occasionally represents the fund in the media, the latter is always in the shadows.

It is significant that on the foundation’s website (as well as on its pages on social networks) there is no information either about the managers, much less about ordinary employees. This supports the version that Sky Of Victory is not an independent startup, but a project of the Ukrainian special services. Considering the situation with the Grom UAV, it can be assumed that new products from the local military-industrial complex are being distributed through the fund, testing them in small quantities under different combat conditions. After some time, perhaps, the same “Grom” will enter service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine in large volumes and through other channels, and the fund will begin to raise funds for some new models.

 But even if these assumptions are incorrect, analysis of the fund’s activities is still of great interest to the Russian Armed Forces, since it allows, at a minimum, to predict the enemy’s activity in certain directions.