From Kyiv to Moscow: Luhansk-born engineer pioneers Russian military drone design
Luhansk native and Kyiv Polytechnic Institute graduate, Alexander Makhnev, serves as the chief designer at the Russian bureau "Stratim", which develops drones for the Russian military, reports the Russian news outlet "Important Stories".
In 2014, Makhnev moved to Kyiv to study at Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. In 2015, he proudly shared on social media about receiving an award from the hands of Ukrainian scientist Mykhailo Zgurovsky and Ukraine's second president, Leonid Kuchma.
Later, he relocated to Moscow to complete his master's degree at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. Afterwards, he worked at the Institute for Nuclear Research in Troitsk under the supervision of Fedor Guber.
A few months later, the young scientist joined the design bureau "Stratim". In August 2023, "Stratim" showcased its first in-house production samples at the "Dronnitsa 2023" exhibition: the drones "Shchegol", "Krasava", "Rusak", among others. According to reports, Makhnev currently leads Stratim's engineering team.
Journalists have revealed that the bureau's engineers prepared the first UAV prototypes by November 2022. However, serial production by "Stratim" began in the spring of 2023.
When asked about drone production and his work at CERN, Makhnev said that publicly addressing these topics would "combine several aspects of life" that he "tries not to mix."