As of April 2026, 24 Ukrainian companies have already joined the pilot project of private air defense. According to the PromPolitInform portal, this was reported by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
These are enterprises of various forms of ownership from several regions, in particular, Kharkiv, Odessa, Kyiv, Poltava and Zakarpattia regions.
In April, in the Kharkiv region, a private air defense group shot down a jet drone for the first time, which was moving at a speed of over 400 km/h.
How does private air defense work
On March 2, 2026, the Cabinet of Ministers expanded the capabilities of protecting critical infrastructure from air attacks. Since then, enterprises — regardless of their form of ownership — can create their own air defense groups.
The purpose of private air defense is to strengthen the protection of enterprises that regularly become targets of Russian drone attacks, as well as to reduce the load on the main system.
At the same time, private air defense does not operate autonomously – it is integrated into the general defense system and operates under the control of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Who is included in private air defense groups
The groups are formed from civilian employees of companies. They undergo special training, receive permits and certification, after which they can work with certain means – but only within the framework of agreed tasks and under the control of the military.
Often, such groups are joined by people who are not subject to mobilization: for example, parents with many children or employees of enterprises.
At the same time, members of private air defense do not receive reservations.
The main task of such units is to detect and shoot down air targets, most often drones. A significant part of companies rely on interceptor drones as a relatively affordable and effective tool for countering “shaheeds”.
At the same time, the types of weapons that private groups can use are coordinated directly with the Air Force command.
A business can join a private air defense group by going through several relevant stages. The Ministry of Defense provides the necessary clarifications.
