Old Saaremaa fishing nets help protect Ukraine from drones

Old fishing nets from Saaremaa have been sent to Ukraine, where they are being used to protect against drones, ERR reported.

Supporters of Ukraine, Margus and Hillar, said they had transported several loads of nets donated by Saaremaa fishermen to the war zone.

“It goes directly to the Ukrainian front, to the most difficult and intense areas,” Margus said. “It is used as an anti-drone net. Large openings are covered so that drones cannot fly through them at speed.”

Hillar estimated that about 50 tonnes of nets had been sent to Ukraine over the past two years. Margus was taking another half-tonne to one tonne on Wednesday.

The nets are part of Saaremaa’s fishing history, although they would probably no longer have had much practical use there. Many had already been burned, as the era in which they were used for fishing had ended.

Hillar said a wicker fish trap from Koguva village was also being sent to Ukraine. He explained that he cuts it away from the wicker and splits the inner section between the rods, turning it into a square piece.