Displaced Ukrainians Make Remote-controlled Stretchers
2024-06-11
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1Ukrainian teenager Yelisei Mamonov dreams of attending his country's top technical university one day.
2For now, he is gaining valuable experience at a family-run workshop making remote-controlled stretchers.
3They are used to rescue wounded troops as Russia's invasion continues.
4Yelisei, who is 14, works under his father Dmytro, a former factory manager.
5He also works alongside his 10-year-old sister, Yesenia.
6Yelisei has already put dozens of devices into use.
7"We need to scale it up. We want as many as possible to be at the front, so that every unit, every company has one," Yelisei said.
8As he spoke, a model sped down a dirt track at a training ground outside the capital Kyiv.
9The Mamonovs fled the eastern city of Sloviansk shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
10They set up production in central Ukraine, far from the bombs that once landed on their street.
11Reporters with the Reuters news agency recently visited their workshop.
12The Mamonovs showed off two models.
13One was a lightweight, foldable stretcher.
14The other was a larger tracked vehicle, called a TerMIT (Tracked Modular Infantry Transporter).
15Yesenia has learned how to connect electrical parts.
16She changed the wheels on the smaller model, which costs about $1,900 to make.
17The TerMIT's production cost is about $5,200.
18The business, called Tank Bureau, is doing great, said wife and mother Oksana.
19She is also involved in the project.
20She takes orders for front-line troops.
21She ignores criticism from family members and others that her children are missing out on a normal childhood.
22"I think that, on the contrary, when they grow up they'll be thankful because they'll have more skills than others," Oksana said.
23Drones and other high-tech devices are playing an increasingly important part in the war.
24Top Ukrainian officials have said there is a need to increase domestic production.
25The Mamonovs' business has been funded by a Ukrainian government effort to increase defense technology production.
26But more support may be needed to reach Dmytro's vision: a battlefield where robotics are as widespread as first-aid kits.
27"That means mass production, that means we need a proper plan," he said.
28"But in order to reach this, we need a radical leap forward."
29I'm Dan Novak.
1Ukrainian teenager Yelisei Mamonov dreams of attending his country's top technical university one day. 2For now, he is gaining valuable experience at a family-run workshop making remote-controlled stretchers. They are used to rescue wounded troops as Russia's invasion continues. 3Yelisei, who is 14, works under his father Dmytro, a former factory manager. He also works alongside his 10-year-old sister, Yesenia. 4Yelisei has already put dozens of devices into use. 5"We need to scale it up. We want as many as possible to be at the front, so that every unit, every company has one," Yelisei said. As he spoke, a model sped down a dirt track at a training ground outside the capital Kyiv. 6The Mamonovs fled the eastern city of Sloviansk shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. They set up production in central Ukraine, far from the bombs that once landed on their street. 7Reporters with the Reuters news agency recently visited their workshop. The Mamonovs showed off two models. One was a lightweight, foldable stretcher. The other was a larger tracked vehicle, called a TerMIT (Tracked Modular Infantry Transporter). 8Yesenia has learned how to connect electrical parts. She changed the wheels on the smaller model, which costs about $1,900 to make. The TerMIT's production cost is about $5,200. 9The business, called Tank Bureau, is doing great, said wife and mother Oksana. She is also involved in the project. She takes orders for front-line troops. 10She ignores criticism from family members and others that her children are missing out on a normal childhood. 11"I think that, on the contrary, when they grow up they'll be thankful because they'll have more skills than others," Oksana said. 12Drones and other high-tech devices are playing an increasingly important part in the war. Top Ukrainian officials have said there is a need to increase domestic production. 13The Mamonovs' business has been funded by a Ukrainian government effort to increase defense technology production. But more support may be needed to reach Dmytro's vision: a battlefield where robotics are as widespread as first-aid kits. 14"That means mass production, that means we need a proper plan," he said. "But in order to reach this, we need a radical leap forward." 15I'm Dan Novak. 16Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by Reuters. 17______________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19stretcher - n. a device that is made of a long piece of thick cloth stretched between two poles and that is used for carrying an injured or dead person 20scale up - v. to increase the size, amount, or extent of 21track - n. a pair of metal bars that a train, trolley, or subway car rides along 22on the contrary - n. used to state that the opposite of what was said before is true 23drone - n. a deep continuous sound 24radical - adj. very new and different from what is traditional or ordinary