Main image by Petr Topič, MAFRA
A Czech company, Spark, is supplying Ukraine with strike FPV drones developed on the basis of a captured Russian unmanned aerial vehicle. Around 200 drones have already been produced. This was reported by journalists from the Czech outlet iDNES.cz after attending drone tests.
According to the journalists, the new drone is based on a Russian UAV that was captured in the autumn by a soldier of Ukraine’s 102nd Territorial Defense Brigade in the Zaporizhzhia region. The serviceman cut the fiber‑optic control cable and preserved the device, after which the drone was handed over to Czech volunteers.
The captured UAV was developed by the Ushkuynik Research and Production Center in Novgorod and was known as “Knyaz Vandal Novgorodsky.” It was used as a strike drone capable of waiting for a target on the ground before attacking armored vehicles or transport.
The company’s team completely dismantled the Russian device and, using it as a basis, developed their own strike quadcopter. The new drone was named “Jan Žižka,” after the Czech Hussite military leader.
According to iDNES.cz, the drone has a simple design with a fiberglass frame, 3D‑printed components, and can be controlled either by radio or via a fiber‑optic cable up to 25 kilometers long, making it resistant to electronic warfare jamming. The UAV can carry several kilograms of explosives.
Almost all components of the drone are manufactured in the Czech Republic. Thanks to its simple design, its cost is about one third lower than that of previous analogues.
The company began producing the drones with financial support from the initiative Darek pro Putina (“A Gift for Putin”). A fundraising campaign for 15 million Czech koruna is now nearing completion—enough to assemble around 500 additional drones.
“We told ourselves that we would return to the Russians what they send us,” volunteer Lesya Kopchuk added.
