The Veteran PRO space in Bucha has signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Unmanned Systems Research Centre, the company that makes General Chereshnia FPV drones. Together they will help veterans and their families return to civilian life.
This was announced by Bucha City Council.
The main aim of the partnership is to help war veterans and their families with social adaptation, psychological support and a return to professional life.
The cooperation covers new educational programmes, retraining, support for veteran entrepreneurship and joint projects involving specialist experts and universities.
The details were discussed at a working meeting. The community was represented by Bucha City Council secretary Taras Shapravskyi, and the company by its social policy director Hennadii Vasylchuk.
The space was represented by its head Valentyn Oleksiienko, who paints pictures with the wheels of his wheelchair. The meeting also outlined joint initiatives in sport, culture and education.
Photo: Bucha City Council
Why the drones are called General Chereshnia
The company was set up by engineers from Zaporizhzhia who had worked on the Delta military system. At first, as volunteers, they built 5, 10, 15 and later 50 drones a month and gave them to the military free of charge, co-founder Rudolf Akopian has said.
The name comes from the Zaporizhzhia Telegram channel Hnyla Chereshnia, or Rotten Cherry. At the start of the full-scale invasion it worked as an intelligence network: its “commander” led a team of soldiers, volunteers and partisans from the occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia region.
In spring 2025 the Defence Ministry codified the General Chereshnia FPV system: depending on the frame, its drones carry charges against armoured vehicles, cars and dugouts.
At the time the developers reported 14 codified items. According to the company, its General Chereshnia AIR anti-aircraft drone had shot down more than 300 russian reconnaissance drones.
Veterans in the defence industry
Veterans already work at the company. Co-founder Stanislav Hryshyn wrote in a column for Ukrainska Pravda that their chief operating officer, call sign Advokat (Lawyer), served as chief of staff of a brigade, while the drones are sold by a wounded veteran with the call sign Keks (Cupcake).
While his discharge from the army dragged on, Keks spent several months driving a taxi part-time. Now his workplace is near the front line, and his KPI is not sales volume. “It’s not canned peas!” he explains.
As a reminder, Bucha became the first community in Ukraine to join the Veteran and Community project. And at Veteran PRO itself, veterans get help with documents and benefits.
Nota bene
Bucha FM is an independent news site and station for the Bucha district. We cover what matters to the community, and we work for you — and because of you. Joining the people who make this possible is simple: support us with any amount.
Comments
No comments yet — be the first.