Rome, Italy. Italian senators have proposed incentives for fishing companies to donate discarded nets to Ukraine to help protect against Russian drone attacks, according to a document released on Wednesday. Ukraine has increased the use of anti-drone nets over roads in frontline areas amid mass drone attacks.
Proposal to redirect discarded fishing nets
The draft bill would exempt Italian fishing companies from disposal costs for nets sent to Ukraine and provide payments based on the weight of material delivered.
Senator Ivan Scalfarotto of the centrist Italia Viva party presented the proposal, saying at a news conference that “fishing nets used in the Mediterranean for millennia are an effective countermeasure against a weapon of death.”
Use of nets in Ukraine
Ukraine has expanded the installation of anti-drone nets this year, placing them over roads in frontline areas as it faces Russian drone attacks on hospitals, infrastructure and civilian traffic.
The nets are considered effective because they can snag propellers and prevent drones from reaching targets, including troops and civilians.
Political context in Italy
Scalfarotto, who is in opposition to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing government, tabled the bill in mid-March and said he hoped other pro-Ukraine parties in parliament would support it to speed approval.
Support for Ukraine has at times exposed divisions within the ruling coalition, with Meloni’s Brothers of Italy and Forza Italia backing Kyiv, while the far-right League has often expressed pro-Russian views.
Existing aid and European efforts
The draft law says charity groups across Europe, including in the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Britain and France, have already sent fishing nets to Ukraine.
Since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, Rome has supported Ukraine’s military effort with 12 aid packages, including air defence systems. Scalfarotto said the nets provide another way to support Kyiv, adding: “We could easily combine fishing nets with technological tools. They may seem basic, but they are effective.”
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