The air war in the Donetsk direction — in the stories of the "navigators" of drones
Unmanned aerial vehicles and the tactics of their use in the course of their development are constantly being improved. Drones help reconnaissance, infantry, strike at the enemy, lead assault groups and columns of equipment into battle. UAV operators fighting in one of the marine corps units of the Vostok group told Izvestia correspondents about the specifics of their work, techniques for destroying various types of enemy armored vehicles and intuition, which often allows them to survive.
The life span of the drone
The drone's reconnaissance operator with the call sign Verb begins our conversation with the story of one of his long-lived devices.
— I had a drone that I worked with for more than eight months. No matter how hard the enemy tried to destroy it, to drown it out, nothing worked. Then he accidentally got hit by a friendly jammer. I've been lying in the rain and snow for a month. We found him, changed the battery, and after that he worked for another three months," recalls the Marine.
Such a period of drone operation is a matter of chance, but there is also the merit of the Verb in this.
— The operator must be well-versed in the terrain. In those moments when your "bird" is jammed and the video card is lost, it can fly very far and in an unknown direction. In such a situation, when the picture reappears, you need to quickly figure out where the drone is located. Otherwise, the battery charge may not be enough to return home," the operator noted.
The verb supports the view that drones are the future. Reconnaissance, enemy attack, a lot is being done now with the help of UAVs.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Dmitry Korneev
Image source: iz.ru
— Take, for example, the Mavic 3, which I work with. I consider it the most versatile drone. It is well balanced, holds the wind well. There is its analogue, only at night — Mavic 3T. It is slightly inferior because it is unstable in the absence of a satellite. We use these mainly for reconnaissance — we identify the positions of manpower, artillery, and enemy equipment. And, of course, we use them to drop various types of ammunition on equipment, shelters, and enemy communications equipment, such as Starlinks. Personally, I destroyed about 50 of them, — said the Verb.
According to him, drone operators feel like hunters, but at the same time they are philosophical about the fact that they themselves can become prey if they are outplayed.
— It is necessary to prepare the working position correctly. This should be approached with no less scrupulousness than the preparation of an infantry stronghold. Disguise and protection are necessary. There are also some technical tricks. For example, remote antennas are great for "poultry houses", with which you can control a drone without leaving a safe shelter," the specialist explains.
An important nuance during the combat work of a drone pilot: when launching a "bird" with ammunition, you should be at a safe distance from him.
— It's a technique. It crashes. Ammunition can accidentally fall out, and this is fraught for the operator, says the Verb.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Vitaly Timkiv
Image source: iz.ru
When the drone is successfully launched into the sky, it's time to choose a target. It can be any: infantry, equipment, vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
— For example, their pickups. We destroy these easily," the Verb explains. — I fly up from above, I aim with a crosshair, and if the weather is favorable, then 90 percent of the ammunition will definitely hit the target and "crack" (wounds. — "News") of the enemy, who is inside the pickup truck. Then, of course, you can finish it off. Everything is according to the situation. I think we need to finish it off. Don't give them any chances.
But it is impossible to blame the drones for excessive cruelty, the fighter believes. He says that in addition to ammunition, he often drops propaganda materials on enemy positions with an offer to surrender.
— And you know, sometimes it works. For example, when the village of Urozhnoye was taken, Ukrainian soldiers who found our leaflets surrendered there," he recalled.
Finishing off the tanks
Another drone pilot with the call sign Kuba recalls last year's failed counteroffensive by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It seems that he is even a little upset that he did not manage to work on large NATO armored vehicles. He says she didn't even get to the line of contact — she was blown up by mines, stuck in pits.
— Both then and now we work, as a rule, on lightly armored vehicles. It happens that we set fire to the BMP. Sometimes we finish off tanks with damaged trucks, but they continue to fire," the operator clarified.
He also mentioned the interaction with other departments.
— In fact, any movement of the unit without the help of UAVs, without the help of "eyes in the sky" is a very difficult task today. Not impossible, but very difficult. By using drones, we facilitate some moments, help to win the battle," the marine sums up.
Before getting into a special military operation, Cuba had nothing to do with drones.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Dmitry Korneev
Image source: iz.ru
— There was a completely different specialty. I studied all the wisdom here, on the spot. One day they offered to try it. Somehow I immediately got into it, I understood what was what. The technique itself is simple. If everything is fine with your orientation, then you can easily control the drone," the fighter said.
At first, of course, you worry, your hands are shaking, and then it's perceived as a video game, Kuba recalls.
— On the very first day there were arrivals, but, of course, we were not fired upon. It was crazy scary, it's still scary. But fear helps you survive, you start to listen and feel better, because your intuition opens up at the superman level. I guess my intuition helped me survive. I think I have about four or five birthdays now," says the military man.
Cuba signed the contract back in 2018. He says that all his comrades are motivated and confident in our victory.
— Staying at home is not our destiny. The motherland needs us. Plus, it's a great opportunity to reveal yourself. We have a friendly team here. It is difficult for people in civilian life to understand us. We have other values. Only human qualities are important here. There will always be normal people around a normal person. They will always come to the rescue here at any time of the day. It's a completely different life," the fighter says.
Dmitry Korneev
