The unsexy tech Ukraine desperately needs

Pick-ups, flatbed trucks, and heavy trucks — these ordinary vehicles have played a key role in many wars throughout history and are crucial in the Ukrainian resistance. 

But drone attacks targeting these assets have turned this category into one of Ukraine’s biggest needs. Here’s how Ukraine is trying to find thousands of ‘unsexy’ trucks and how their role has evolved during the war.

History of trucks as military aid

Though overlooked during the ongoing conflict, during World War II, it was a critical part of Allied success. The Soviet auto industry’s capacity was limited. Between 1941-1945, it produced around 300,000 trucks—just a small portion of the demand. 

So the United States provided more than 400,000 trucks and vehicles to the Soviet Union under the Lend-Lease Act during the war. These included Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge, and Studebaker vehicles. The U.S. sent at least 150,000 Studebaker US6 models in particular. The Soviet Union also received more than 50,000 Willys from the U.S.

These trucks were used for transporting people, cargo, and ammunition, as well as for towing artillery. Many of them were also used as a chassis for Katyusha artillery systems.

"Almost all of our artillery was American-powered. Almost all of our military equipment that was in the GDR was also on American Studebakers. This was inconvenient; this was a shame. Many years have passed since the war ended, and we are still driving American equipment", wrote ex-leader of the Soviet Union Nikita Khrushchev in his memoir.

Trucks in modern war

Eighty years later, the number of vehicles supplied to Ukraine as it fights back against Russia’s invasion is significantly lower – although the usefulness of trucks is hardly diminished.

Since the start of the full-scale war in February 2022, the U.S. has officially sent to Ukraine:

• 5,000+ Humvees, 

• 1,000+ mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles (MRAP). 

• 1,000+ vehicles to tow and haul equipment. 

• 200+ unknown light tactical vehicles 

• 300+ armored medical treatment vehicles.

More than 1,000 vehicles, trucks, and transporters were supplied by Germany, as well as 450 MRAPs and around 200 pick-ups. A few thousand of these vehicles were also delivered by other allies. 

But even these are not enough – not by a lot. 

According to the Oryx open-source intelligence group, Ukraine has lost more than 1,000 trucks, vehicles, and jeeps in the past three years. 

The highest confirmed losses are almost 200 Zil-131 and 167 Gaz-66 Soviet-era trucks. In many ways, the transport needed at this point is covered not by governments, but by volunteers. 

A few Ukrainian manufacturers, in different ways, delivered trucks to the AFU. In January 2022, military vehicles producer AvtoKrAZ delivered to the AFU at least three truck tractors that were designed specially for the army. 

Up to the 5th of March 2022, the producer delivered to AFU vehicles and repairs with a total cost of $3 million. This includes not only trucks, but also armored vehicles. Its activity has become non-public now due to the invasion. The CEO of AvtoKrAZ, Volodymyr Nosov, declined to comment on this issue.

Another big Ukrainian producer is Bohdan Motors, owned by Oleh Hladkovskiy, former first deputy secretary of the National Security and Defense Council. He is accused of abuses in the procurement of trucks for the army and losses to the state. During the bankruptcy of Bohdan Motors, in 2023, Prytula Foundation purchased 20 new army chassis made by Bohdan Motors. In the same way, the foundation bought an additional 20 military SUVs made by Bohdan.

New pickup trucks, minibuses, ATVs, and buggies are the biggest request from the army to the Come Back Alive foundation, said the head of the foundation, Taras Chmut. 

Since 2022, Come Back Alive has delivered at least 2,200 new pick-ups to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) and delivers dozens of vehicles every month. In 2025, the foundation began to buy trucks actively.

"The need for freight transport is also huge. And we will buy that, too. I hope a lot," Chmut wrote in January 2025. Many other charitable foundations, like the Prytula Foundation and Sprava Hromad, are also looking to supply trucks now. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Sprava Hromad has delivered more than 360 heavy trucks to the AFU.

The role of transport has changed substantially throughout the war. 

For the most part, pick-ups now serve the function that previously belonged to trucks, said Andrii, head of the military transport service for the 108th Separate Mechanized Battalion 'Vovky Da Vinci' (Da Vinci Wolves). 

It’s become difficult to find good vehicles due to sky-high prices and shortages of used cars on the European market. Since early 2023, the unit has had to buy old and low-quality pick-ups. Sometimes these cars can't even reach the border with Ukraine and end up breaking down before they even arrive, Andrii added. 

Soldiers then repair them at their own expense.

In 2022 and even now, the automotive industry was not ready for such demand for pick-ups, said Dmytro Lavryk, transport consultant for Come Back Alive. 

The foundation is focusing on new diesel pick-up trucks, including vehicles like the Nissan Navara or Fiat Titano. Vehicles like this are made in South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Paraguay, Venezuela, and other markets where there are no strict environmental requirements for cars.

Apart from diesel being the army’s main fuel, there is one other big reason why the army needs precisely this kind of diesel vehicle: Other modern vehicles are designed to protect the environment, meaning, for example, that something like a Euro-6 pick-up won’t run if it runs out of AdBlue fluid. This is great for the environment, but for a soldier, a vehicle that suddenly stops moving could be fatal. 

NATO countries have many trucks in storage, and from time to time, they appear on the market, Lavryk said. Come Back Alive focuses on buying 'miltech' trucks like MAN, Iveco, or Ashkosh. Technically, they are no different from civilian ones, but they run on diesel.

Buying trucks is more difficult for a few reasons, however. 

For one, there is a rivalry with the African market, which is also desperately looking for trucks. On top of that, bureaucracy ensures that a great deal of documents are required for each truck. Buying a single truck might sometimes take two or three months. 

"And it is impossible now to cover this demand. The army needs not hundreds, but thousands of wheel vehicles," Lavryk said.

How drones changed the role of trucks

The appearance of FPV drones has changed the face of the war and the use of transport. It’s impossible now to evacuate wounded soldiers from the front line with an unarmored pick-up — it’s too inviting a target.

"When I was a driver-mechanic of an armored personnel carrier [during the Anti-Terrorist Operation, pre-full scale invasion], we easily went out to positions and destroyed the enemy. During those times, I was only afraid of ATGMs," Andrii recalled.

So now, frontline logistics for many things is based on aerial and ground drones, said Andrii. In particular, Vampire hexacopters can carry kilograms of food or ammo to a position. Ground drones can handle the emergency evacuation of injured or fallen soldiers.

"The safe zone is constantly moving away [due to the increasing range of drones], so we have a ban on the use of unarmored vehicles after a certain number of kilometers. So the main logistics at the frontline rely on drones," said a representative of a National Guard brigade who requested anonymity due to security concerns.

How Ukrainians are trying to bridge this need

Buying new or used vehicles is not the only way for Ukraine to make up for transport losses. Due to the lack of specific cars on the market, Come Back Alive also invests in creating its own custom vehicles: specialized for medical evacuation, drone control points, and sniper missions. 

Each project may have as many as eight contractors who create their own roles and handle specific details. For example, custom medical evacuation vehicles from Come Back Alive have electronic warfare systems, increased cross-country ability, and reinforced bumpers. The medical section of vehicles is also equipped for autonomous operation: it has additional batteries, inverters, and a separate lighting system.

In August 2024, one such medical vehicle supplied by the foundation survived an FPV-drone attack and the strike of an anti-personnel landmine. 

Another way to compensate for losses is to create new vehicles that are already adapted to frontline conditions. Ukraine doesn’t produce pick-ups, but enthusiasts make buggies. 

That’s how Khyzhak buggies were founded. These 4x4 buggies are used for soldiers' transportation and evacuation, but also for quick logistics near the front line, said Eduard Moroz, a soldier and the founder of the Buggie for AFU initiative that produces Khyzhak buggies.

Since 2023, the initiative has delivered around 300 buggies to the AFU, and they make two buggies every week. They create their own construction and use engines from Soviet-era Niva SUVs. The crew is now desperately searching for old Nivas and their engines, said Moroz.

"Old KAMAZs and ZiLs are not military trucks, they are not maneuverable and aren’t suitable for quick transportation," he explained. These buggies are sponsored by donors; a group of mining and metallurgical companies, Metinvest, in particular, provides metal for these buggies. 

A buggie does not have any protection, so its main advantage is speed, said Moroz. 

"We sent them to one platoon recently. It has driven 3,000 km in a month. It’s used to transport ammunition and evacuate the wounded. This car is faster than all pickup trucks,"  said Vadym Sorochynsky, the CEO of Buggie for AFU.

Buggies also bring many risks, however, Andrii from Vovky Da Vinci added. According to him, this kind of transport is dangerous under dense mortar or artillery fire. The risk of being wounded by shrapnel rises.

"It's almost like riding a moped. Soldiers feel many times safer and have better chances if they ride [in a vehicle with] light armor," he said.

Effective repairing has also become another way to find trucks. Kyiv-based service station Nesemos, for instance, overhauls around 20 frontline pick-ups and minivans every month for free. 

This station was founded in 2023 by ex-journalists Mariia Ksyondzyk and Petro Shuklinov (the latter of whom has joined the military). They have managed to fund free repairs with grants, profit from repairing civilian cars, and by selling souvenirs of destroyed Russian aircraft and tanks. And the demand for overhauls is constantly high.

Through years of work, the team has gained expertise in repairing cars that were turned away by other stations. These include cars hit by a drone or even those that were run over by a tank. Nesemos is usually prepared to spend no more than $1,200 for each car. But sometimes they need to spend significantly more to bring a car back onto the road. 

In January 2025, Ukraine purchased around 80 Ukrainian trucks for the first time under state guarantees. Deliveries are also continuing from partners. In April 2025, border guards and police received a new batch of MRAPs sent by the USA. However, such quantities are not enough.

Ultimately, progress on getting trucks to the frontlines is hampered by the fact that it is not as ‘sexy’ or cutting edge as other kinds of military technology, despite the desperate need for it.

"Much of what we get from partners is not mentioned [in the news]. Trucks impress few people, so they are probably rarely mentioned either. There is a demand for it. There is a greater demand for engineering equipment. The need is tens of thousands for the Defense Forces," said Taras Chmut in June 2025.

Thanks to our media partner: