Ukrainian civilian soldiers training for war thanks to tools made by a Tempe business

TEMPE, Ariz. - We’ve heard countless stories about people and businesses doing what they can to assist Ukraine in its fight against Russia's violent invasion, and a Tempe company is helping train the country in its fight.

Ukraine going into the war had a massive army by European standards, but for the civilians that wanted to join the fight, they of course needed to know what they were doing, and that’s where Smart Firearms Training Devices comes in.

The Ukrainian government says thousands of civilians have lined up for guns to help protect their county, and for many, it might be their first time even holding a gun.

"What you don’t want is your first rounds you’ve discharged on your street," said Mike Farrell, president of Smart Firearms Training Devices.

Orange tips on the training weapons give it away that they aren't real, but are instead advanced training devices for police departments across the globe, including Ukraine.

"The day of the invasion, we were talking to friends of ours at the Ukrainian national police, and just saying, ‘What do you need?' And they said, ‘This is what we need. Combination of guns and targets because the office I’m in now isn’t going to be here tomorrow,’" Farrell said.

Farrell just got back from Poland after delivering more than 100 training systems. He says Ukraine is lucky to have some of the best military trainers in the world, and this is coming as they need to improvise as their infrastructure is bombed.

"They don’t have infrastructure to train, they don’t. The ranges aren’t left. All those things they used to train with a month ago to train with are gone," Farrell said.

That’s why these tools have become so important behind the scenes.

"Incredibly vital they can train in a basement, in a subway station, put the targets up on a far wall. This is how you pull the trigger, this how you line up the sights, this is how you do this, is how you exchange a magazine. All of these are things you can do anywhere and anywhere is going to become more important to them the more these cities get sealed off," Farrell explained.