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14.11.24 15:33 7 168 0

Call sign Skif: "We had cases of such powerful enemy attacks that 40 drones were lost in day"

A pilot and engineer with the BULAVA unit of the 3rd Mechanised Battalion of the Separate Presidential Brigade named after Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, call sign Skif, had no military experience before the full-scale invasion, except for his military service. He worked as a trucker in the European Union. At the end of February 2022, he was on holiday at home.

- When you returned to Ukraine, did you have a feeling that a full-scale war was about to break out? There was a lot of talk about this at the time.

- I had this feeling. Especially after the US and British intelligence agencies said that within 48 hours we would have similar events.

- What was your morning like on 24 February 2022?

- I woke up at home to what I now realise was air defence work near my house. Panic, fear, no idea what to do. The first thing that came to mind was to leave. And that's what we did. We drove towards the western border. But after three or four hours, we realised that it was almost impossible to leave Kyiv. So we decided to stay nearby.

- How did you get to the war?

- I spent two weeks trying to save my family - looking for a place to leave them. Then I decided to go to the military commissariat. I was told that I was suitable for the Armed Forces. I was immediately assigned to the Bohdan Khmelnytskyi Presidential Brigade. I was an anti-tank gunner until the topic of FPV came up.

-Why this specialty?

- The distribution was strange to me, like some other things. I put it down to the fact that there was chaos going on. At that time, there was no way to express my thoughts on it. In fact, I did not understand until the last moment which unit I would be assigned to and what position I would hold. I had a lot of experience driving large vehicles. I thought I would be needed in this area. Because in the first hours of the invasion, I saw large trawls pulling tanks. So I assumed that I could do it too. When I was assigned, I told them about it. But for some reason, they decided that I was suitable for the position of senior technician of an anti-tank platoon. I did not understand what my duties were, what I had to do. At first, it was hard to figure it out. It put pressure on me. I could not get clear information. But in the process of communicating with the same guys in other units, I formed a general picture of my work.

- Did you find the skills you acquired during your conscript service useful at that time?

- Not at all! Firstly, it was a long time ago - in 2006. Secondly, conscription was the use of personnel for unclear personal purposes. So we were doing almost everything except military affairs as they should have been. When a conscript sees a weapon and fires it once every six months, it is unclear why he should be kept there for a year and a half! For what?

-Formality.

- That is why we faced the problem in the first days of the invasion that we did not have enough people with weapons. Unfortunately.

- And what weapons did you work with at the beginning of the full-scale operation?

- We worked with Javelin, NLAW, Stugna and other types of ATGMs. Our weapons were not the latest. But all the guys were good. They learnt how to use it. Fortunately, we had about two months of basic military training. During this time, we learnt how to work with Javelin, which then yielded results in December 2022. Basically, we came to Donbas prepared, more or less. But only theoretically. So at first it was a bit scary and unclear how everything would work when the first battle started.

- And how did it go?

- The enemy attempted to storm Velyka Novosilka. The commander placed our position at the right point in a very favourable way. Our Javelin worked well. There was such an interesting coincidence that one shot destroyed a tank and another piece of equipment that was passing very close to it at the time. We were really lucky! After this first battle, there was a great deal of excitement in our unit. The guys received awards. At that moment, we, as an anti-tank platoon, had our first baptism of fire.

- How did you start flying?

- About two or three months after the events I just mentioned, I first heard about such a thing as FPV. For us, it was something very distant, incomprehensible and high-tech. Given that the unit was made up of different people, no more than ten soldiers were interested in it. When the commander suggested that we take up this area, our journey into FPV began. It was a thorny one. I am surprised that we went through it and did not stop at a certain stage, because there were many obstacles.

- What obstacles are you talking about?

- At that time, no one knew what it was. We heard it somewhere, told each other about it, watched a video, and that was it! Especially when you want it to work. But we had to figure it out without any training or courses. As I said, at that time there was almost no information about FPV. We were lucky that there was a guy among us who was a former IT specialist. He spoke English very well, watched a lot of foreign content, and formed at least a minimal picture of what we needed to buy and set up so that we could try to fly. All this was happening in parallel with the guys going to the positions and participating in combat. It's hard to sit in a cold trench for five or seven days under constant fire, come back for rotation and do something you don't know much about. There were a few times when I wanted to quit, but fortunately, the commander insisted, and we decided to keep working.

- And what was it like for you personally? It's a new business for you too.

- I was saved by the fact that I used to play various computer games until I was about 20 years old. I'm a bit of a gamer. It's just that I had my own responsibilities and I realised that if I were to be actively involved in piloting now, I would have two or three times as many tasks. That's why I chose to deal with organisational issues. I could very quickly identify someone who had the talent. I organised classes on simulators for them. We developed a step-by-step plan of what to do so that a pilot could fly a drone in a short time. And there were almost no drones! And there was no money for them either. I managed to find someone who helped us a lot. We can say that BULAVA was born thanks to him. This is one of the co-founders of the "Wild Hornets", Dmytro. We knew each other before the full-scale invasion. He used to buy us three to five drones at his own expense. While they were on their way to us, the pilots were training on "vups" (mini-drones - O.M.) to make the transition to UAVs easier. I was filtering people, because many people came to the classes, but after a while they realised that they couldn't do it, couldn't or didn't want to. That's when I realised that a pilot should be a person who has a passion for this business and takes some initiative. In this case, this pilot will make an effective combat unit. Out of all the applicants, two successfully passed the simulator training and quickly mastered flying in real life. We saw that they could be allowed to fly these precious five drones, which we were just praying not to crash. It was a rigid system - we didn't allow people to fly the drones until we were sure they had passed this a la carte training. Although it was very strange to be taught by a person who was not a pilot and had no relevant experience. But somehow it worked. I could give some suggestions when I saw, for example, that they were taking the wrong trajectory or something else. So, on a normal level, we were analysing and trying to improve.

-What do you fly?

- FPV, basically a kamikaze.

- I understand that you also flew the "Queen of Hornets"?

- Of course! Our unit did the following experiment: we attached an assault rifle to the "Queen". Then - a grenade launcher. And we succeeded! You know, it is not entirely correct to consider a drone as a barrage munition only. It can also be an anti-tank and small arms weapon. In fact, you can attach everything to it. There were many questions about its effectiveness. But it is very difficult to convey in video or text what a person feels when a "Queen" flies fifty metres away and starts firing from an assault rifle. One day, while wearing glasses and holding the drone in the air, I shot in the other direction. I imagined myself as a stormtrooper and realised that if I saw and heard such a drone (with the corresponding hum) firing at me with a weapon, I would at least lose the desire to move on. What if it was attached not to an ordinary AK-74 rifle, but, for example, some kind of small arms made in normal engineering workshops! If such a drone can fire for several minutes without interruption, just imagine what two or three such UAVs can do while hovering over an assault group! You don't even need to be knowledgeable in this area to know that this is very scary.

- What are you most impressed with now?

- Recently, vehicles have stopped arriving in our area en masse. Although there was a time - somewhere from the end of our counter-offensive, which was in my battalion's area of responsibility, until mid-summer, we had constant powerful mechanised attacks. Over a five-kilometre stretch, we counted more than 50 pieces of burnt vehicles. It was very difficult. So when the equipment is not moving, we are constantly working with drops and keeping the enemy's front line in suspense so that they understand that we are there. Often we manage to inflict damage that leads to losses of enemy personnel.

- I've seen information that you also work on electronic warfare devices and antennas. If you can compare, is it more difficult than defeating the same equipment?

- I can't say what's more difficult. All our pilots are almost of the same level, so they can hit the antenna. It's more a matter of reconnaissance, additional reconnaissance. In order for us to fly purposefully to a particular EW or antenna, we need to know that they are there and what the landmarks are. Then it's easier for the pilot to figure it out. Because the antenna can be small, it is difficult to find it, because the camera in FPV is analogue, not digital, like in Mavics. But we have a lot of cases with video evidence that we beat them. In principle, this is not a problem at all. It can be more difficult to hit an EW when it is operating at that moment and interfering with communication. Yes, there are not always hits. But we proceed from what we can, look at it, and try again. We understand that we will eventually hit the target.

- Recently, a video with the caption appeared on your unit's Telegram channel : "In cooperation with aerial reconnaissance, we found and destroyed the f@ggish biker club 'Galubaya Ustritza.'" I understood that it was a motorcycle hideout. How many were there? Three?

- Yes, three. I'm surprised at moments like this, when they can put motorcycles like this in the middle of the day. The thing is, we can often hear them talking to each other on the intercepts: "BULAVA is in the air". Sometimes they see our picture - we, of course, try to fight this, but it is still difficult to make sure that they do not see us at all. So they know who is against them. Sometimes they do such fuck-ups as arriving in the middle of the day with three motorbikes, putting them down and covering them with a net. Either they don't need this transport, or I don't know why they would do that. It's hard to understand. It's our way of life: as soon as there is a movement of vehicles, we immediately get into the air as quickly as possible.

- We are now in a situation where each unit has to have a specialist who can alter equipment, including drones. I know that you are now also an engineer. How did you come to this?

- Somehow it came naturally. As a pilot, I felt that I lacked certain knowledge. I was very annoyed when I picked up a drone and something didn't work. At that moment, I didn't understand what was happening, what was the reason, what I needed to do to fix it, because the tanks were coming at the guys in the trenches, and their lives depended on my actions. This burden of responsibility plus the information hunger prompted me to apply to become an engineer. Besides, I have always been interested in computers and the IT sector. And I believe that if a person is interested, he or she should satisfy his or her interest. I took several courses that upgraded my skills. I also work with my engineer friends. I like it.

- Where do you get your components? Does the state supply them? Do volunteers help?

- There are three ways. First: "Wild Hornets" are a lifeline for us. I'm not talking about the components right now - I'll digress: we've had cases of such powerful enemy attacks that 40 drones were lost in a day. The result was that we had almost no reserve, and we were expecting another attack tomorrow. I would call in the evening, and in the morning the truck would bring replenishment. Thanks to this, we fought back. They also help us with components.

Secondly, we have recently started receiving drones from the state, the quality of which is objectively improving. What we received at first was terrible. Now it is a pleasure to fly what the state provides.

Third, we raise funds for components. Here's an example: An FPV drone cannot detonate by itself when it crashes into a tank. To do this, we need to make an initiation system, which we need in large volumes. So we use the Telegram channel to share the results of our work and encourage people to help us.

In general, we need a lot of money. For example, my division needs an average of one million hryvnias to make it comfortable for engineers to work and produce about 200 modified drones per month.

- At the same time, the enemy is increasing its capacity and production of the those drones. There are more and more of them on the frontline. What is your current situation?

- I cannot say that everything is very bad. It's difficult, but controlled. In general, it's not about quantity, but quality. When we started receiving a lot of drones, but they were faulty, it did not save us. We realised that we had mountains of junk, and how to make it fly required a lot of money and time, which we did not have. If the enemy has a lot of drones, it doesn't mean that they can solve absolutely all issues with them. Yes, quantity matters, but if the UAV is of poor quality and the pilot is stupid, it won't help. I've intercepted their pilots' footage many times. I saw how they were using drones inadequately, which, in principle, I was happy about. We have more trained and educated people, and we try to give them the best possible equipment.

- Judging by the way the Russians are pushing on, there is no hope for a quick end to the war on the battlefield. The President took a victory plan abroad. Now there is a lot of talk about possible negotiations. How do you see it all? Do you discuss it? Or do you live, as my military friends and acquaintances say, one day at a time?

- That's pretty much how it is here. But among those who have been with me here from the very beginning, the mood is very different. What can a person who has been at war for three years and is completely exhausted both morally and physically talk about? It is difficult for us to raise such topics. But we understand that we have no other choice but to be here. The enemy has come to destroy us all. The fact that it is relatively calm in Kyiv or Lviv now does not mean that he has abandoned his plans. We are aware that we have to keep working, because if we leave, everyone will have to remember the time when the Russians were in Hostomel, when everything was rattling and exploding, and enemy "Tigers" were jumping into Obolon somewhere. We feel responsible to ourselves, our comrades-in-arms and those who died, so we have to hold on somehow. Yes, it is difficult. We have no idea how long we have to stay here. But I don't see any other options. You wake up and realise that today may be your last day. However, those who have been at war for a long time have somehow got used to it. For us, it has probably become a kind of norm. Although in reality it is not. But we have what we have. So we are ready to continue doing our job.

P.S.: Dear friends, if you are willing and able to help the BULAVA unit destroy the enemy, here are the details: