According to The Independent, Ukrainian volunteers have started using e-cigarette batteries to power drones deployed in the war against Russia.

The batteries are used to power release systems attached to drones so they can carry and drop anything from medical supplies to grenades. The publishing system is built using a 3D printer.

The plan was created in response to rising lithium battery prices. War-related airport closures have pushed up the cost of many imported goods. To collect single-use e-cigarettes and recycle lithium-polymer batteries, volunteers set up drop boxes outside Kyiv Polytechnic Institute.

“Lithium batteries used to cost $1 each, but the price has risen fivefold, increasing our costs significantly,” says engineer and doctoral student Maksym Sheremet. "So we started powering the system with batteries from disposable e-cigarettes. It's free, easy to reuse and eco-friendly because we're recycling."

A team of about 60 volunteers is making the drone system, 30 of them specializing in the vaping program.

In four months, they built 4,000 delivery systems -- costing less than $30 -- and sent them to the front lines. They are also building drones from scratch and repurposing existing commercial drones to complement their throwing systems.

Ukraine, which lags badly behind Russia, relies heavily on drones, which allow its troops to spot artillery and effectively direct fire, saving ammunition.