Ukrainian drone startups born in basements under fire are turning into powerful defense players. A former casting agency Fire Point has become a contractor of the Ukrainian Armed Forces worth billions of dollars, producing cheap long-range drones.

At the same time, the company is suspected of having ties to the environment Volodymyr Zelenskyy and corruption. This is a longtime ally of the president, Timur Mindich. Despite criticism of its quality, Fire Point claims that its FP-1 drone carries out 60% of attacks on Russian refineries, and its missile Flamingo could be a "turning point" in the war.

Between heroism and corruption – the story of Fire Point shows how war creates a new industry, writes The New York Times. LIGA.net retells the story briefly.

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