In a basement in Lviv, the nonprofit Florida Man for Ukraine recycles all kinds of electrical devices to build portable power storage systems. Benjamin, who arrived from Florida in 2023, and his friends—all volunteers—were able to set up a workshop in just a few weeks to produce power storage systems for Ukrainian soldiers. With the country’s electricity production capacity faltering due to Russian bombardment, the production of low-cost batteries for the military is essential, especially as electricity needs on the front lines continue to grow. Indeed, in this war, no area seems to escape the volunteers’ attention.
On this rainy afternoon, spring has not yet managed to fully banish the cold of winter. As is often the case, out of caution, my contact arranges to meet me at a street corner rather than at a specific address. All that remains is to watch the whimsical, if not aggressive, dance of Lviv’s luxury sedans, waiting to catch the questioning glance that will rescue me from the drizzle. It doesn’t take long. A slender man in a hooded sweatshirt and a short beard approaches. A handshake, introductions. In Benjamin’s voice—he’s from Florida—we detect a hint of wariness, which will take several hours to dissipate. We cross the street. A vast lobby, a flight of stairs, a door leading to an underground passage, another flight of steps—it’s still just as cold. Benjamin pushes open another door: “Welcome.”
The atmosphere is tense, to say the least. In this vast, well-lit room, seven men and women are busy at their workstations. Some don’t even notice our arrival. From time to time, we catch a brief exchange. A large central table, workbenches arranged along the walls, tool racks, and shelves, all well-stocked… The workshop set up by Benjamin seems to lack nothing. In the background, we hear the steady ticking of about twenty battery chargers, whose heat spreads pleasantly throughout the room.
Power for everyone—and for the military first
“The focus of my work right now, in my workshop, is to come up with energy solutions for Ukraine by manufacturing portable power stations, external batteries1, and developing solar installations,” says our host, whose volunteer experience in Ukraine began in the summer of 2023. The volunteers, he adds, are also working on developing an electric ground drone intended for military logistics. At the back of the workshop, the “second prototype” of the vehicle—a small four-wheeled chassis to which a box with a lid will later be attached—awaits its final assembly phase.
Florida Man’s production, Benjamin explains, is primarily dedicated to soldiers—suddenly, his reserve makes more sense. The volunteer and his team also work for civilians. In late April, they equipped the barn of a reception center for internally displaced persons—the Phoenix shelter, which our regular readers will recall—with solar panels. In both cases, Benjamin emphasizes, remaining focused, his organization’s products are not sold but donated. The only exception being considered for the future concerns the most complex products, such as drones or high-capacity power stations. In such cases, a donation covering the cost of the most expensive parts will be requested from recipients.
“We don’t yet have large-scale production,” says the Floridian, before adding that the workshop is currently able to ensure continuous production of external batteries. “For example, today [we made] nine. […] We’re probably reaching the point where we’ll be able to produce 45 to 50 a month,” he says, lost in thought. In the center of the workshop, finished batteries are neatly lined up on a shelf, revealing a casing stamped with the Ukrainian trident—an aesthetic luxury made possible by 3D printing.
Recycling and Volunteer Work
When asked about his production goals, Benjamin remains undecided. “It’s hard to say. Actually, one of the factors is that I don’t buy the materials”; a detail that leads us straight to one of the unique aspects of Benjamin’s project: the use of secondhand batteries. These are collected from recycling companies and various businesses by partner organizations and independent volunteers in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic. This is what allows Florida Man to strike a balance between cost, quality, and quantity of products, as the price of new, higher-performance batteries remains prohibitive. This division of labor among organizations also spares Benjamin the trouble of having to handle procurement himself—a valuable time-saver. A few weeks ago, Florida Man received a shipment of e-cigarette batteries, as well as a batch of second-hand hoverboards from its partners.
The downside of this setup, our host explains, is that it’s difficult to balance production over the long term, since it depends on partners’ ability to ensure a steady supply. “As for e-cigarettes, basically, I have 4,000,” Benjamin explains. “We use 50 to make one power bank, so that makes 80 power banks […]. Then I have to find a new supplier.” ” The same process will apply to drone production once the model’s development is complete. Each drone should be powered by two hoverboards. “I have about 100 hoverboards […]—great: that makes 50 drones,” he summarizes.
Furthermore, Benjamin points out, his organization operates entirely on a voluntary basis. Output “depends on the number of volunteers available,” he explains, since they “can come and go as they please.” Benjamin hopes that more volunteers will join his team as the weather warms up because, he notes, the main constraint on his work lately “isn’t supplies, but manpower.” His goal for the summer: to have about ten volunteers each day. Recruiting isn’t always easy, as volunteers with the knowledge and skills required to build electrical and electronic systems and drones are few and far between. Other organizations are vying for them, not to mention companies; but it would take more than that to discourage Benjamin.
Learning by Doing
Benjamin holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations. He has worked as a university lecturer, a bartender, and a piano salesman. “We even made soundboards,” he notes with a degree of pride, referring to his last job. He admits, however: “I was clearly not a technician or a hands-on person for most of my life.” In fact, he set up his workshop without really knowing what he might produce there. All he knew was that he wanted to “work in the drone industry,” without any further details; until members of another association convinced him to expand his work to include energy storage and power generation systems. “And that’s how I ended up watching tons of YouTube videos on electricity, batteries, and all that. I’m still not at a professional level, but I’m pretty confident in most of the tasks I perform,” he sums up with a smile. So, as this son of a “blue-collar worker” and grandson of a carpenter concluded, you’re never too old to learn; which is why he takes it upon himself to train volunteers.
The initiative seems to be a success, as none of the people around us had any technical background to begin with. Lesley, busy testing e-cigarette batteries, is a team leader at a call center for the Scottish hospital system; Gwyn, originally from North Carolina and currently performing the final assembly of external batteries, runs her own marketing firm specializing in publishing; while Don, focused on assembling a 3D printer, worked as an IT consultant in Chicago before retiring. Only Gary, a smiling English-speaking Canadian who makes an effort to speak French, had prior welding experience before arriving. This experience, he notes with a smile as he works on developing a prototype power station, dates back to his high school classes.
The Vancouver native has dedicated his professional life to import-export from China.
Everyone is delighted with their experience, especially since the volunteers, who all speak English fluently, work in a friendly atmosphere. Benjamin regrets, however, that he has not been able to attract more Ukrainian volunteers to his team; a phenomenon he attributes to the language barrier.
A Timely Project
The issue, however, does not arise with engineers, who are capable of drawing up plans and manufacturing processes remotely. As Benjamin points out, many of them—whether Ukrainian, Slovak, or British—have offered him their assistance. When you look closely at the context of the initiative, their enthusiasm is hardly surprising. By the end of January, it is estimated that Ukraine had lost 70% of its electricity production capacity, while the use of military equipment reliant on electricity—from drones to electronic warfare systems—continues to grow on the battlefield. Florida Man’s expertise lies in industrial sectors that have become strategic for the Ukrainian military and appear poised to play a leading role in modern warfare.
This is also evidenced by the Ukrainian military’s interest in the association’s production. The association only truly began operations in April, but several units have already been delivered. Among these is the 13th National Guard Brigade, Khartia, a unit attached to the 3rd Army Corps, one of the elite formations of the Ukrainian forces. The need for power storage is such that the military is willing to compromise on capacity, especially since the price of new systems is high: several dozen euros for an external battery and several hundred for a power station. When scaled up to a battalion or brigade, the acquisition of this equipment represents a considerable sum. The volunteers at Florida Man expect growing demand, especially since, to avoid the administrative complications inherent in official unit orders, the products are sent to soldiers on an individual basis. For the soldiers, this guarantees a substantial time savings. Benjamin, who plans to stay in Ukraine “at least until the end of the war”, intends to keep up the pace, without, however, considering turning his association into a business. “It’s just voluntary work,” he assures us, […] “when the war ends, we’ll stop too.” The project is stimulating, and the converted van he lives in provides him with the necessary comfort. For now, that’s enough for him.
Goodbye, America?
As for the future, Benjamin doesn’t necessarily plan to return to the United States. His trip to Europe has given him some distance from the American way of life, which, in his view, fosters a form of loneliness, especially in the context of the political divide that characterizes American society during Donald Trump’s second term as president. These tensions haven’t spared his circle of acquaintances. “When Trump started spouting nonsense about Greenland, talking about annexing [the region], one of my close friends began justifying [his remarks] by citing ‘security reasons.’ I told him that was exactly the same rhetoric Putin used regarding Ukraine,” Benjamin recalls, annoyed that this longtime friend didn’t understand “the parallel” between the two situations. It was precisely in response to this kind of argument that Benjamin himself decided to commit to the Ukrainian cause. He is therefore considering settling somewhere in Europe and launching a consultancy business in the field of drones for the benefit of “NATO countries” and, he adds, “the general public.”
To learn more: visit the Instagram page and the YouTube channel of Florida Man for Ukraine.
Antoine Laurent is a freelance journalist. A contributor to the Swiss bimonthly Echo Magazine, the Italian media Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa, and other publications on a more ad hoc basis (Le Courrier de Genève, Linkiesta, etc.).