If not for US paying for 2,000 drones, we would have halted in October – Lasar’s Group commander Yelizarov
Drone Industry
Lasar’s Group, a National Guard of Ukraine heavy-drone special unit created in 2022 without state funding, continues to carry out combat missions thanks to support from international partners and private donors.
Censor.NET reports this.
The unit is commanded by National Guard Colonel Pavlo Yelizarov, who in civilian life was a businessman and a producer of the political talk show "Svoboda Slova" ("Freedom of Speech" -ed).
In the autumn of 2022, with only 10–15 aircraft, the unit destroyed dozens of pieces of enemy equipment.
The unit’s success drew the attention of international partners, who funded the production of nearly 500 drones, and in 2023 Lasar’s Group joined the state-run Drone Army project.
Due to limited state funding, most crews are temporarily not engaged in combat missions. As of August 2025, the unit had received drones worth under UAH 4 billion—covering only a third of its manufacturing capacity.
"We could have halted back in October were it not for our American partners, who financed 2,000 drones. The unit is ready to operate at full capacity, what we need is stable funding," Pavlo Yelizarov said.
The team is continuing to develop new unmanned-systems solutions and calls on partners to get involved.
