Fishing nets sent to Ukraine to protect against Russian drones
Fishermen from the Brittany region have donated hundreds of kilometers of used fishing nets to help Ukraine defend against Russian drones.
The shipments are organised by a Breton charity Kernic Solidarités, which has already sent 280km of the nets, according to The Guardian.
The horsehair netting, once used to trawl monkfish from the sea bed, is being used by the Ukrainians to create anti-drone tunnels in frontline areas where Russia uses small, cheap unmanned aircraft packed with explosives. Video of the drones have been captured below.
According to the report, the so-called ‘first person view’ drones are guided in by remote control and Russia swarms the region with around 500 attacks a day.
The nets are effective as the drone propellers become entangled in the fishing net tunnels. The fishing nets are stretched between poles to create netting tunnels or used to cover trenches and vehicles. Ukrainian drones are also equipped with pieces of netting to drop on enemy drones.
Gérard Le Duff, the president of Kernic Solidarités and the grandson of a Breton fisher, says: “The Ukrainian ambassador came to Brittany and he thanked us for what we are doing.
“We don’t have a lack of fishing nets in this region. It’s a problem to know what to do with them as a couple of the companies that recycle them have closed. If they need them to create anti-drone walls and save lives in Ukraine, they can have them.”
Kernic Solidarités was set up after Le Duff and Abaziou were approached by local Ukrainians asking for help with clothing, food and medical supplies for communities. The charity’s 20 volunteers have driven two lorry consignments of aid 2,300km to Ukraine’s border with Poland.
🕸️ Hundreds of lives saved. Millions in damage prevented. Don’t let us hit the brakes.
— De Leeuw Kyiv 🇺🇦🇳🇱 (@deleeuwkyiv) July 12, 2025
In recent months, we’ve been sending dozens of truckloads each month filled with discarded flower bulb and fishing nets to the front lines in Ukraine. These nets are a simple but powerful… pic.twitter.com/gisk6Ju4in
