Ukrainian company pivots from medieval armor to spiky 'caltrops' intended to stop or slow Russian vehicles

Ukrainian truck carrying caltrops.
(Image credit: Anastasia Vlasova/Getty Images)

A Ukrainian company that manufacturers medieval armor for sport is now using its materials to produce "caltrops" — or "sharp, six-inch spikes that date back to ancient wars" — in service of the war effort against Russia, The Washington Post reports.

Art of Steel in western Ukraine used to make items like "silver chain mail, helmets, and other armor for reenactments and show," but has instead in the past two weeks produced hundreds of caltrops, which are being chained together and "placed at checkpoints around Rivne, a city about 210 miles west of Kyiv," writes the Post. The intent is for the devices, also called "hedgehogs," to stop or slow Russian vehicles should they try to enter the city, since the metal can pierce tires.

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Brigid Kennedy

Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.