Kathrine Frich
When people think of judges, they picture courtroom drama, powdered wigs or TV figures like Judge Judy.
Few imagine them gripping heavy weapons and defending cities under attack.
But in Ukraine, that image is being turned on its head.
From bench to battlefield
According to the Kyiv Post, judge Evhen Kruk was manning a heavy machine gun on a barge along the Dnipro River when he shot down a Russian kamikaze drone targeting Kyiv.
Kruk, who serves in Ukraine’s anti-corruption court, was joined by Supreme Court judge Viktor Kechun and Constitutional Court judge Vitaly Zuiev.
“When you are shooting, all you think about is hitting the target, firing so that the target flies into the path of your bullets,” Kruk said. “You think of nothing else. I didn’t hear the noise of the machine guns at all; everything was focused on what I was shooting at it.”
Volunteer defense
The three judges are part of Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces, a volunteer structure supporting the military with tasks such as guarding infrastructure and reinforcing air defenses.
Kyiv Post reports that between 100,000 and 300,000 civilians serve in these units across the country.
Their unit, named Mriya, is made up largely of Kyiv residents who rotate shifts to monitor and respond to aerial threats.
Floating outpost
The judges operate from a converted Soviet-era barge equipped with multiple weapons systems and modern tracking tools.
The platform is linked to Ukraine’s air force network, allowing crews to monitor incoming aircraft and prepare for engagement within minutes.
Weapons on board include a US-designed Browning M2 machine gun, as well as older Soviet-era systems adapted for anti-aircraft use.
Learning under fire
Kruk admitted that ammunition shortages have limited training opportunities, meaning his first experience firing the weapon came during real combat.
Despite initial misses, he said he was able to adjust and successfully hit a drone during a later engagement.
The Kyiv Post verified the incident through eyewitness accounts, video footage and official confirmation from Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces.
Civilian effort
The barge’s crew includes volunteers from a wide range of professions, from legal experts to business figures and foreign supporters.
“I decided to do something that is a lot more kinetic than my normal daily work to support and defend this great capital city,” said a British volunteer identified as John Richardson.
“We are simply reinforcing existing units… As a former professional soldier myself I can tell you this: They [Ukrainian machine gunners] are as deadly against enemy drones as they are ruthless but fair in court – quintessential professionals!”
