DEMONS OF THE PAST

Les Robertson

Perhaps current events will make Nesterenko ’ s knives even more highly sought after in the future. Meanwhile, he is consumed with the dirty business at hand.

“Now in the Kyiv region where I live, Russian troops are defeated and active hostilities have ceased, ” Oleksii reported. “But I am still on duty at checkpoints and volunteer. We help the civilian population in the villages near the front. I think that in a few weeks I will have time to partially return to knifemaking. ”

While he is hopeful and actively involved in the defense of his country, Nesterenko has kept an eye on the conditions of the knife industry in Ukraine and anticipates some adaptations.

“Currently, there are no problems with the supply of materials for the production and shipment of knives abroad, ” he advised, “ so I look forward to returning to work. I am sure that a knifemaker can make a quality knife only if he uses it for its intended purpose. That’ s why I used to make only EDC knives. Thanks to the war, I understand what requirements a tactical folding knife must meet. I have already drawn several designs and am waiting for the opportunity to get started. ”

Changes in demand are not noticeable at this time, according to Oleksii, and orders are in the queue for delivery around the world into 2023. Still, he warned, “I think that the consequences of the war in Ukraine will affect the economies of many countries. And over time, that will affect collectors. ”

LITTLE CHANGE

In much of the domestic knife industry, little in the way of change has occurred due to the war thus far. Custom knife purveyor Les Robertson said that by mid-April FedEx service to Ukraine had been suspended. Therefore, the volume of knives conventionally being sent to Ukraine has probably been curtailed, at least somewhat. Neighboring European Union countries are still moving mail into Ukraine.

“No one is sending knives directly to anyone in Ukraine, ” Les noted. He went on to comment that factory sales to “ armchair warriors ” may in fact tick upward as the war persists.

Purveyor Neil Ostroff of True North Knives agrees that the current custom

DEMONS OF THE PAST

Michael Zieba, an award-winning knifemaker based in Brooklyn, New York, constructs a wide range of custom knives, chef’s knives and accessories, and is involved in a variety of other enterprises. Born in Rzeszow, Poland, 156 miles from the Ukrainian border before later emigrating to the USA, Michael keeps clear of both principals in the war in Ukraine.

“The war has nothing to do with my business, ” he stated flatly, “and I have never done business with Ukrainians or Russians. ” Meanwhile, he has a historical viewpoint of the war completely unlike what you see on network or cable news.

“The war summoned demons of the past in the memory of my family, ” Michael wrote, a family past that includes his grandfather surviving the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) executions of World War II. “My whole family was shot by Ukrainians during the extermination of the Polish population from the territory of present-day Ukraine** , ” he recalled. “My grandfather was 4 years old then. He managed to escape. After [World War II] the family from Rzeszow found him [in Germany] through the Red Cross. It all left an incredible mark on his psyche.

“I only feel sorry for the children and women who are guilty of nothing in this war. My grandmother was 3 years old at the Auschwitz concentration camp. She always said the Germans are demons, the Russians are animals. It’s hard to describe what our family talked about. ’”

Michael said he thinks the war will end with Ukraine divided into two spheres of influence. The Eastern part is ethnically Russian and the Western part is Ukrainian and half Poles, he observed. Noting that the conflict is basically an ideological one, he opined that the Russians have the wherewithal to fight for up to 20 years. Meanwhile, Poland will become a kind of hub for Western companies, serving as a conduit for much of the aid to Ukraine.

**In1943, theUPAbeganmassacringandexpellingthePolishpopulation. Theethnic cleansingofPolesbeganonalargescaleinVolhyniainlateFebruaryandlasted untiltheendof ’44. InJanuary ’44, theUPAcampaignofethniccleansingspreadto theneighboringprovinceofGalicia. Alltold, theestimatednumberofPolishcivilians killedbyUPAinVolhyniaandGaliciawasabout100,000.

Michael Zieba holds his custom knife award from a past BLADE Show.

Bill Harsey ley, director of sales and marketing for KA-BAR, has noticed virtually no changes in activity. “The war in Ukraine hasn ’t had any impact on us at all, ” he remarked. “As far as production, and even consumption, the impact has been zero. ”

Bradley added that supply and demand are in line. “We have not seen an increase. Currently, we are seeing the market being more impacted by inflation than anything else. I think most of the people, at least Westerners, in the Ukraine already had their supplies and as a result didn ’t have a need to buy anything new. Production and logistics have been a problem since the start of COVID, ” he observed, “ and are just now starting to get back on track and return to a semblance of normalcy. ”

KA-BAR has experienced no changes in product offerings or knife styles as a result of the war in Ukraine. However, Bradley offers one interesting point of view. “If anything, this war has shown the merits of what some might consider antiquated weaponry like the AK-47, ” he pointed out.

“FREE the OPPRESSED”

Spartan Blades is located in Fayetteville, North Carolina, near the gates of Fort Bragg, home of the U.S. Army ’ s XVIII Airborne Corps and Special Operations Command. Spartan owners Curtis Iovito and Mark Carey, both Special Forces veterans, have seen a groundswell of support for Ukraine. Knife sales bear the unmistakable mark of the conflict.

“Most of the sales are to people here in the U.S. with notes that they are purchasing

“THEY ARE COUNTING ON U.S. SUPPORT EVEN IF IT IS JUST SHOWING UP TO SUPPORT THEM IN SPIRIT. ” —CURTIS IOVITO

Neil Ostroff

knife market is maintaining its status quo. “In my opinion, as a dealer, ” he commented,

“ we have no change from the customers concerning knives from either Ukraine— now on hold—or Russia. Several Ukrainian knifemakers have set up in Poland, and they do not want to be named. ”

Still, Ostroff is somewhat insulated businesswise from the turmoil in Eastern Europe.

“Going forward, I see no issues coming through, as there have been none so far, ” he observed. “And most if not all of my clientele prefer to buy only USA-made items, which is what I prefer to supply as well. ”

From the factory perspective, Joe BradThe AK-47 is perhaps the world’ s most famous assault rifle, arising in the Soviet Union during the Cold War, experiencing authentic production models and knockoffs made in the millions, and arming military organizations around the world for well over half a century.

Oleksii employs M390 stainless steel for the 3.75-inch blade and a handle of black and purple Fat carbon fiber for his Morph flipper folder. The bolster is Timascus™ and the pivot rings and back spacer are zirconium. Closed length: 8 5/8 inches. Retail price: $2,800. (Steel Addiction Custom Knives image)

for folks in the Ukraine, ” explained Curtis in acknowledging the market uptick. “Several orders have had short tags like ‘Free the Oppressed in the Ukraine ’ or ‘Support the War against Russian Aggression. ’ Because we are at Fort Bragg, we have several Special Mission units from friendly foreign countries drop by the shop to pick up knives for their use. While that isn ’t uncommon, it’ s happening more than usual. We ’ ve noticed during our discussions with them that things have a more serious tone. ”

Others buying more knives from Spartan Blades include people from all walks of life and military involvement. Curtis said,

“Our Gold Line knives are going to more of the military professionals and contractors, and our Silver- and Bronzegrade knives are selling to folks across the spectrum. Many of the knives bought are by civilians that later donate the knives to NGOs [non-governmental organizations] that ship in bulk to Ukraine. ”

As far as production, it’ s business as usual at Spartan Blades, a longtime producer of knives that go to war. There are a few new items on the horizon, and the owners expect business to be brisk in the days ahead.

“Honestly, the war in Ukraine hasn ’t affected how we do things here at Spartan Blades, ” Iovito asserted. “We ’ ve made knives through the last two decades for troops in both Afghanistan and Iraq, so things are kind of par for the course.

“We have several new knives coming out around the end of this year, ” he continued.

“We had planned on releasing these later but have sped up because the price point and style match some of the requirements we have seen lately. They are being designed by William W. Harsey, Jr. —a fighter, a Nessmuk and a kukri blade. They will be in 1095 Cro-Van blade steel and made in conjunction with KA-BAR Knives. Pricing has not been determined yet, but we are shooting for a sub-$200 retail price. The first one produced will be a fighter later this year. ”

Surveying the knife landscape today begs a few questions as Iovito and Carey plan for the future, uncertain as it may be.

“We have seen a slight increase in steel prices, but we haven ’t raised our prices in over a decade, ” Curtis stated. “We assume we will continue to see price increases soon in commercial, off-the–shelf parts but are keeping our fingers crossed. We believe we will see an increase in knife demand as it appears the conflict in Ukraine [will not end as soon as many thought it would]. ”

The war has had other effects, including dampening attendance at European trade shows.

“We were very surprised that most of the U.S. knife companies did not attend the IWA show* in Nuremberg, Germany, this year, ” Curtis noted. “We even had people thanking us for attending, as you could tell they are counting on U.S. support even if it is just showing up to support them in spirit. There was definitely a new and urgent concern about military spending. The German government approached two companies that I know of and bought their whole inventory—cutting checks the same day!”

In wartime, uncertainty often reigns. However, awareness, preparation, and the desire to return to the shop are evidence that the ongoing conflict in Ukraine will influence the future of the entire knife industry for the foreseeable future.

*Held each spring, the IWA OutdoorClassics (iwa.info) is the European equivalent of the Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor, Trade (SHOT) Show stateside, and is a place where many new factory knives are debuted.

For the contact information for the knives in the story, see “Where To Get ’Em ” on page 47. For the latest knives, knife news, trends, and more, visit blademag.com, BLADE®’ s popular Instagram page @blade _ magazine, and on Facebook and Twitter.

Spartan’s Curtis Iovito said a number of his company’s knives in the Silver and Bronze lines are bought by civilians who donate them to NGOs (non-governmental organizations) that ship in bulk to Ukraine. An example of a Bronze-line Spartan knife is the Enyo, worn (above) semi-concealed here. MSRP: $88. (semi-concealed image by Mary Lou Ayres)