From ExpCarry Developers to Defenders of Ukraine

The People Who Built Our Website Are Now 3D-Printing Drones for Ukraine's Defenders — and They Need Your Help

Before the full-scale war, they were Gik Team — a group of talented Ukrainian developers who helped build ExpCarry.com from the ground up. When Russia invaded, they put down their keyboards, picked up soldering irons and 3D printers, and became 3Dryk — a volunteer community producing combat drones, drone detectors, and training equipment for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Everything they make is free. This is their story, and our call to support them.

This Is Personal

We need to start with something most of you don't know.

ExpCarry exists because of Ukrainian talent. The people who designed our platform, wrote our code, and helped turn an idea into the gaming service you use today — they were Gik Team, a group of developers and tech specialists based in Ukraine. They are the reason ExpCarry.com works the way it does. They are part of our story.

Then the war came.

On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The lives of millions of Ukrainians changed overnight. And our friends at Gik Team were no exception. They didn't flee. They didn't freeze. They pivoted everything they had — their technical skills, their problem-solving mindset, their sleepless work ethic — toward defending their country.

They became 3Dryk.

Today, instead of building websites, they build FPV combat drones, drone detection systems, training mine replicas, and dozens of other critical products for the Ukrainian military. They do it as volunteers. They do it for free. And they do it under shelling, in workshops with boarded-up windows, running 3D printers on scooter batteries when the power grid goes down.

These are our people. And we're asking you to support them.

From Gik Team to 3Dryk: How Developers Became Frontline Volunteers

The war in Ukraine didn't start in 2022 — it has been going on since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and fueled armed conflict in the Donbas. But the full-scale invasion changed everything. Cities were destroyed. Millions were displaced. And ordinary Ukrainians were forced to decide how they would resist.

Two brothers from Kharkiv — Georgii and Illia — part of the broader Gik Team network — made their choice. On October 16, 2022, they crowdfunded a single 3D printer and founded 3Dryk. They taught themselves everything: 3D modeling, electronics, soldering, PCB design. Their first workshop was Georgii's room in a former Soviet hotel converted into communal flats — no heating, windows boarded up after a missile strike that also crushed his car.

Neither was a trained engineer. Illia says he had no interest in 3D printing four years ago — he just knew such a thing existed. Life forced him to learn. The same hands that once helped build digital products for clients like us now solder circuit boards for drone detectors at 3 a.m. in a city 20 kilometers from the front line.

Today, their decentralized network spans approximately 40 printers across multiple Ukrainian cities, run by volunteers who refuse to stop — even when the electricity goes out.

What 3Dryk Builds

For a grassroots volunteer operation, the product range is extraordinary. Every item is designed with real frontline feedback, tested in combat conditions, and delivered to the Armed Forces of Ukraine at zero cost.

Drop Systems

Mechanisms that attach to quadcopter drones, enabling them to carry and deliver payloads — from munitions to bottles of water. During the Kherson dam catastrophe, these systems delivered drinking water to stranded civilians via drone.

FPV Combat Drones

Since November 2023, the team has been assembling first-person-view drones — one of the most decisive technologies on the modern Ukrainian battlefield. Custom mounts securely attach payloads during flight.

Drone Detectors — "Vanilni Tsukorky"

Licensed detection devices for Mavic and fixed-wing UAVs. 3Dryk builds custom PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards) and 3D-printed enclosures, warning soldiers of incoming enemy drones before they strike.

Interactive Training Mines

Realistic replicas of PFM-1 "petal" mines, PMN-2, PMN-4, and F-1 grenades. They emit a beeping sound when mishandled. Used by the military, emergency services (DSNS), and schools to train soldiers and teach civilians — including children — to recognize the deadly remnants of war scattered across Ukrainian soil.

Weapon Accessories & Custom Orders

AK-47 grips, magazine loaders, target illuminators, and bespoke cases for classified devices. Soldiers arrive with equipment and say: "We need you to design a case for this." 3Dryk figures it out.

Every single product is provided to Ukraine's defenders completely free of charge.

Operating Under Fire — Literally

Kharkiv sits roughly 20 kilometers from the front line. When British journalist Anna Bowles visited the brothers in late 2025 for her Anna Talks Ukraine newsletter, Illia picked her up in an ancient Soviet Zhiguli — because that's all they have. Georgii commented on his crushed car with a shrug: "They'll destroy anything."

Their printers run around the clock — as long as there's electricity and filament. When the power goes out — a regular occurrence in a country whose energy grid has been systematically targeted by Russian strikes — they improvise. Georgii powers his printer from a scooter battery. They solder components when they can't print. If parts break, they repair everything themselves, sourcing from local Kharkiv shops or ordering in bulk from AliExpress through relay towns farther from the front, since direct delivery to Kharkiv is unavailable.

"Even if there's no electricity, we don't stop. If we can't print, we solder."

— Illia, co-founder of 3Dryk, Kharkiv

This is not a factory. Not a corporation. Not a well-funded defense startup. This is a community of ordinary people — people who used to build websites and apps for a living — doing extraordinary things with consumer-grade equipment, caffeine, and a conviction that surrender is not an option.

A Network of Solidarity

3Dryk did not grow in isolation. Their journey is woven into a remarkable web of grassroots international support.

October 2022 — Founded in Kharkiv. Georgii and Illia crowdfund their first 3D printer and begin producing drop systems and weapon accessories for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Early 2023 — Admix Global steps in with financial support, enabling the purchase of additional printers and equipment — scaling from one printer to multiple workshops.

November 2023 — FPV drones enter production. 3Dryk expands beyond 3D-printed accessories into assembling first-person-view combat drones.

Summer 2024 — Drone detectors licensed. The "Vanilni Tsukorky" detection system goes into production — a commercially licensed device with custom PCBs and 3D-printed enclosures.

August 2024 — Freefilmers, a film-art NGO originally from occupied Mariupol, joins the cause. They provide funding for new printers, 40 kg of filament, and crucial international volunteer connections.

2025 and beyond — The network grows to approximately 40 printers across multiple cities. Igor, a former 3Dryk volunteer who designed PCBs and 3D models for drone detectors, now serves as a military R&D engineer, adapting commercial drone technology for combat use.

PlayDuck SEO Team provides ongoing technical support for the project's web presence.

The Bigger Picture: 3D Printing as a Weapon of Resistance

3Dryk is part of a broader revolution. Since February 2022, 3D printing has become one of the most vital volunteer ecosystems in Ukraine. DrukArmy (PrintArmy) alone has united approximately 8,000 enthusiasts nationwide, collectively delivering over 18.5 million items weighing more than 430 tonnes to the front. Internationally, the phenomenon has been covered by IEEE Spectrum, The Washington Post, HackerNoon, Prusa Research, and many others.

The roots go back to COVID-19. When the pandemic hit, Ukrainian makers built networks to produce face shields and PPE. Those same logistics systems pivoted overnight to wartime production. 3D printers that once made face masks now print drone parts and mine training models.

What sets 3Dryk apart is their full-stack versatility. They don't just print catalogue parts. They design from scratch, build electronics, assemble drones, develop detection systems, and fulfil one-off custom orders from military units. As former professional developers, they bring a level of technical discipline and problem-solving that most volunteer workshops simply can't match.

Why ExpCarry Stands with 3Dryk — and Why You Should Too

This isn't just a charity appeal we found on the internet. This is family.

The people behind 3Dryk helped build the platform you're reading this on. When we needed technical expertise, they delivered. When we needed reliability, they showed up. They were part of our team before "team" meant something measured in life and death.

Now they need us.

The gaming community is global, interconnected, and fundamentally built on cooperation. We coordinate raids with strangers across continents at 3 a.m. We learn complex systems, optimize builds, and push through adversity for a shared goal. The values that make someone a great teammate in World of Warcraft or League of Legends — persistence, adaptability, teamwork, creative problem-solving under pressure — are exactly the values driving these volunteers every single day.

Ukraine's tech community overlaps heavily with the gaming world. Coders become drone pilots. Gamers become electronics engineers. Discord servers that once coordinated dungeon runs now coordinate supply logistics. The Gik Team story is a perfect example: people who built gaming infrastructure now build defense infrastructure.

At ExpCarry, we believe that community isn't just a game mechanic — it's a real-world superpower. Right now, Ukraine needs that superpower more than ever. And we owe it to the people who helped us get here.

How You Can Help — Support 3Dryk Directly

Every dollar goes to filament, equipment, and electronic components. No middlemen. No overhead. Just materials → products → defenders.

MonoBank — General Activities: send.monobank.ua/jar/2xTK1hYidw

MonoBank — UAV Detectors: send.monobank.ua/jar/4y6fcHPutC

PayPal: 3dryk.pro@gmail.com (select "Friends & Family")

BTC: bc1qjxp8yacau8jptzt9zucc4kjjk84fapzrd025wh

ETH: 0x00BCde467fF50C1F041DDc8a25cA6Fdfd92e23B3

Follow 3Dryk

Telegram — reports, news, and updates from the workshop

Instagram — product catalogue and behind-the-scenes

3dryk.pro — official website

Read More

"Print for Victory" — Anna Bowles — in-depth interview with founders Georgii and Illia in their Kharkiv workshop. Published November 2025.

"The Drone Guy" — Anna Bowles — the story of Igor: from 3Dryk volunteer to military R&D engineer on the front line. Published December 2025.

Final Word

Wars are not won only by armies. They are won by communities — by ordinary people who wake up every morning and choose to fight with whatever they have. Georgii and Illia used to fight deadlines and debug code. Now they fight with soldering irons and 3D printers. Their battlefield is a desk covered in plastic filament and circuit boards. Their weapon is a 3D printer that hasn't stopped running in over 500 days.

They helped us build ExpCarry. Now let's help them build Ukraine's future.

3Dryk is proof that you don't need to be a soldier to be a hero. You just need to show up, every single day, and refuse to stop.

Stand with Ukraine. Support 3Dryk. Share this story.

This article is published by ExpCarry.com in support of the people who helped create our platform and who are now dedicating their lives to defending Ukraine. ExpCarry is an international gaming services platform that stands with Ukraine and its people. Visit 3dryk.pro to learn more.