Commander of "Rarog" Regiment, Oleh Huit: "I was stunned when Russian infantryman advancing on crutches. Obviously, he didn’t make it very far"
Major Oleh Huit, call sign Khasan, first observed the use of an unmanned aerial system in Popasna at the beginning of the full-scale war. At the time, he was commanding a mortar battery. Today, he leads the 427th Separate Regiment of Unmanned Systems "Rarog," whose troops specialize in aerial reconnaissance, patrol missions, fire adjustment using UAVs, and deploying strike drones.
- Your regiment is known for its effective operations. What have you destroyed recently?
- As of now, our primary target is not even equipment or artillery systems, though we are successfully taking those out as well, but infantry. They need to be killed in large numbers. For example, today (the interview was conducted on April 10 – O.M.), we destroyed two radar stations—powerful and rare systems that not only interfere with aerial operations but also detect electronic warfare assets. We don’t yet know their exact designations, as the data is still being decrypted—it takes a few hours to identify them. But again, our main focus is infantry.
- Because there are more Russians on the battlefield now?
- Yes, their numbers have indeed increased. And it’s harder to stop them. The "greenery" has already started, so we don’t always have eyes on them. Earlier, they used to move in vehicles, charging in, as we say, "with bravado." But now they’re afraid to do that. They’ve got a clear task: reach the forward edge of the battle area and deploy infantry. If their vehicles stop, for instance, at the line of departure, we hit them—and as a result, the infantry doesn’t advance on foot. That’s why they’ve changed tactics: they’re moving in on foot, either in small groups or larger ones. They’re deploying well-trained infantry with full packs—everything as it should be. So right now, infantry is our primary focus. That’s generally the case in other sectors where we operate, too.
- Pilots fighting on various fronts have told me that Russian commanders often send soldiers in groups straight into open fields, which makes it easier for our forces to target them. I take it you've seen similar things?
- Absolutely! Just two days ago, I witnessed an assault by b#stards infantry. I was stunned and shocked—one of them was advancing on crutches. Can you imagine? He was actually moving forward on crutches. It looked as if his commander simply didn’t want to waste food, water, or medical care on him—better to send him off to die. Needless to say, he didn’t make it very far.
They usually come at night. If there’s fog, they bring them closer to the front line and unload them—then it’s full speed ahead. Most of them, of course, get killed during the landing, but some do make it through. That’s reflected in the fact that we’re losing territory across nearly every sector of the front.
- You mentioned a Russian soldier advancing on crutches after receiving the order. We generally know how Russian commanders treat their subordinates. There’s nothing human left there...
- I think that disappeared a long time ago. Look at history. An army that spends years isolated from a society where ordinary people live (people who don’t fight or kill) loses touch with normal, civilized life. Soldiers change, turn into something more like beasts, and they stop seeing themselves any other way. So I believe most of their commanders deliberately use such tactics with their personnel. To them, these men are expendable.
- But we have a different story. I know your regiment has a high personnel preservation rate, which is critically important. How do you achieve that?
- It mainly comes down to tactical execution. I don’t really like to talk about it. Not because of superstition. For me, not even hundreds of thousands of orcs can justify the loss of a single one of my soldiers. You understand?
- Of course!
- I won’t disclose the number of our wounded. Yes, there have been fatal casualties as well. I won’t give figures, but the number is relatively low. And I’d like to keep it that way. It all comes down to testing, training, and how commanders—starting with myself and down the chain—treat their personnel, how they train them, and apply tactics that help save as many of our soldiers as possible while still remaining effective in combat.
I won’t go into detail about the tactics we use, because that would, to some extent, reveal our hand—and the orcs might start copying us. Especially considering they’ve also become quite effective when it comes to UAV operations...
- Unfortunately.
- Yes. But we’ve also had successes, specifically against their drone operators as well.
- But tactics alone aren’t enough. You also need to build a team that works in sync, trusts its leadership, and operates as one. What’s your personal "secret to success" as a commander?
- There’s honestly no secret to it. We’re very open with all the personnel who come to our unit. I’ve always said: "This is war. It doesn’t matter if you’re a soldier, a sergeant, or a commander. In the end, we’re all soldiers—each of us just has a role to play."
Much also depends on investments in equipment. And today, that equipment allows us to operate at greater distances from the front line. On our direction, we’re facing off against the 98th Guards Airborne Division. I call them "Rexes." (Rex is slang for "universal soldier" – ed.). If on other fronts their positions get hit with about two GABs (guided aerial bombs - ed.) per day, we get twenty-two. On top of that—Shaheds, aircraft, kamikaze drones, FPVs, FPVs with fiber-optic guidance. And they’re all hunting for our drone operators and collective weapons systems. And that’s no secret to anyone. We recently partially relocated to another direction, and we noticed the difference. Hearing just two artillery shots from the enemy in an hour—that’s quite the surprise. On the Chasiv Yar direction, Russian artillery barely stops. And even though we’re successfully destroying their guns, their replenishment rate remains fairly high.
- Indeed, they are clearly well-equipped. What about your unit? You’ve recently become a regiment, expanded—obviously, your needs have increased.
- If we compare it to 2023, back then we were just breaking UAV operations down to the molecular level. We were sleeping two to three hours a night, scrambling to find anything—just to get our hands on some Mavics, payload drop mechanisms, etc., as we didn’t fully understand unmanned aviation yet. Now, we’ve significantly optimized our internal processes—we buy some components ourselves, and we’ve started manufacturing others on an ongoing basis in our own workshops. We’ve got strong support from both the state and volunteers. It’s a team effort. So at this point, our supply situation is much better. That said, we’re responsible only for our unit’s current operational status. Technology is advancing, but the process is becoming more systematic: state programs are being launched, and there’s support for domestic manufacturers. Whatever we don’t produce ourselves, we can purchase. And if we don’t have the resources to buy something, charity foundations step in. Right now, what we’re short on is people—motivated ones who haven’t burned out yet. And it’s hard for me to accept that people living in a country at war can actually burn out. I recently talked to some of my guys who had just returned from a position where they spent nine straight days without rest (because the logistics of rotating personnel are difficult). I’d believe it if they told me they were burned out. But they weren’t! They approach every task with a sense of responsibility. They have the will—as long as the level of support remains where it is. We have the tools; what we lack are people who can overcome their fear, come forward, and take up arms. In war, every means is valid. And today, UAVs are one of the most effective types of weaponry. That’s why we gladly welcome new people into our unit.
-By the way, like most units, your regiment also conducts recruitment. For readers who might want to join you after reading this interview, where should they go?
- There’s the "Drone Line" platform, where all the links to our official pages are listed. We also run our own recruitment campaign. I always say: motivation is key. When we see a motivated candidate, it’s never a problem to direct them into the right track. We’ll teach them everything they need to know, train them for all tasks, guide and support them. The most important thing is that a person genuinely wants to get involved in this war. Our recruiters will assist and explain everything. Starting April 15, we’re launching a new format where anyone can join a live Q&A session with us. I’ll be there, along with our three top drone pilots. If anyone has doubts or fears, they’ll be able to ask directly how things work here. Of course, there are some questions we won’t be able to answer for security reasons. But I think live communication will be interesting for everyone. The 427th "Raroh" Regiment and the Drone Line are always happy to welcome a motivated fighter.
- Of course, every profession is needed at the front right now. But since we’re talking specifically about drone pilots—tell us, why should a potential recruit choose your unit?
- Because they have a higher chance of surviving and of killing the enemy. We have pilots who’ve surpassed 200 confirmed kills. And they’ve never been wounded or concussed. Their job is to receive the equipment, get their assigned targets, deploy to position, carry out their mission over three to four days (depending on the situation), and then rotate back for two days of rest. And that’s how it goes, month after month.
- These days, many people are afraid to enlist because they think they’ll be sent straight into the infantry. But people need to understand that here, you can choose your specialization. So if you want to become a drone pilot, you’ll mostly be working from a distance…
- Look, we’re all afraid, right? But what then? We can be afraid, but we can’t run away from ourselves. Sooner or later, that time will come—you get that? We all know how many Russians there are. And now the Russian Federation is also bringing in people from CIS countries, paying them thousands of rubles just to come here and die.
- They’re bringing in Koreans, Chinese too. The President recently showed two such POWs.
- That’s why we’re trying to grow, scale up, and get the message across that this time has already come. If not in our regiment, then somewhere else. We’re not competing with anyone. Our goal is to eliminate Russian orc sc#ms by the dozens. I could’ve never imagined that we’d be taking out 50–70 Russian "ruble units," as I sometimes call them, in just one week. Monthly? That’s 350–400 orcs. That’s a whole battalion.
At first, we focused on striking tanks and artillery systems (though we’re still doing that today). But someone has to operate that equipment. That’s why we need to kill the orcs. Sooner or later, they’ll start running out. And it won’t be easy to train new ones. Once that happens, those guns will stop firing. That’s why we need motivated fighters—people who will join the Defense Forces, choose their unit, and stand alongside us to reach a common goal, instead of sitting somewhere waiting for things to "get better" or putting their faith in Trump or other foreign politicians.
- That’s exactly the problem—these talks about a ceasefire are making people complacent. Some think that negotiations will happen soon and the war will just end. They’re starting to forget how it all began—Bucha, Irpin, Kharkiv region, and so on. Meanwhile, the military keeps stressing that there’s no such thing as peace right now. For example, Yehor Firsov, the senior sergeant of the 109th Territorial Defense Brigade, recently wrote: "There’s no smell of peace at the front. There’s no lull whatsoever." How do we get that message across to civilians?
- At this point, I’m not even sure it’s right to say "civilians." The Defense Forces are made up of them. Career officers mostly handle command roles. But why is it that we Ukrainians have this habit of only listening to what we want to hear? How is it even possible to take Trump’s words seriously while seeing dead children lying on the ground in Kryvyi Rih and still believe this will all just end soon? Isn’t that absurd? I don’t understand how anyone can put their faith in the words of someone who’s already lied to us—lied to Ukraine—for all these years of independence. And it’s not like "the president just said something." Someone wrote that for him. Someone made a political decision. It’s not about a private meeting of three people—it’s the whole of America, Europe. Some promised us artillery. Others, F-16s. What did we get instead? Old helmets. Is that surprising? And we’re still going to keep trusting someone’s words from abroad? We have our own country and we have to fight for it. I’m not talking about how we used to push forward purely on grit. What I’m talking about is a hard but important decision—a way to stop losing territory and stay alive. And it comes with the chance to go home once every six months. To be there for your kid’s birthday, for example. Then come back to the Defense Forces. Back at the start of the war, I couldn’t even imagine I’d make it home—not even for leave—given what was happening in Kyiv region, Chernihiv region, Sumy, the south, the Donbas. What I’m saying is: the situation is still hard. Nothing has truly changed. The only difference is—we now have effective weapons that help us kill. That’s why we’re trying to bring people into something real, something that actually matters.
- It’s clear that Russia doesn’t want peace. Don’t you think they’ve adopted a strategy of war of attrition?
- Absolutely! They see perfectly well what’s happening—they know we’re short of personnel. Yes, they’ve certainly lost huge numbers of troops and military equipment. But believe me, that won’t stop Putin. It’s part of his effort to hold Ukraine in a vise. What truly matters is how well we can resist—and we’ve already shown everyone what we’re capable of. We will never be ashamed, no foreign state, however much it may try, can persuade us to surrender. We have every chance not to find ourselves under the yoke of a historic enemy, not just since 1991, but over the past 400 years.
- Without the necessary weapons, it’s hard to fight. A year ago, when you were asked how many drones we should fundraise for, you replied, "As many as the Russians have—that’s how many we need to raise. As many of their self‑propelled guns and tanks as they have, that’s how many we need to raise." Have you noticed that donations have started to slump? What does that tell you?
- In wartime, a country’s economy can’t be at its best. Accordingly, not everyone can continue to support the military financially. I completely understand—most people are tired or need to save for other things, so not everyone will keep donating. And that’s perfectly natural.
Back then, an enormous percentage of people were fired up and full of faith. Unity was our driving force. Remember 2022: we all, regardless of our status, tried to do our part. Some burned out from losing faith, some no longer feel the need to help. Let’s be honest—some have joined the armed forces and simply don’t have the time to volunteer.
There are many reasons, first and foremost, the economic crisis. War costs money every day: millions, and probably even hundreds of millions. New technologies and weapon systems don’t come cheap. On one hand, it’s progress; on the other, it means constantly keeping your finger on the pulse of innovation and focusing on self‑sufficiency. And you know, I believe the military has done an excellent job of this, giving people in the rear a real sense of security. That’s exactly how it should be—that’s what we’re fighting for. But that bond needs to be felt, too. A reliable rear—everyone, without exception, regardless of rank or position—must think about the soldier just as the soldier thinks about the civilian. You see it on social media: people relaxing, traveling abroad, celebrating birthdays in restaurants. And I always say, "If people still have those opportunities, it means we’re doing it right. The Armed Forces, the Defense Forces, have held firm, remain strong, and are carrying out their mission."
- I recorded an interview with an FPV pilot with call sign "Yunha." She’s a 19‑year‑old girl from Uzhhorod. She pointed out that when civilians go shopping or out to parties, they need to remember: at that very moment, someone is sitting in a trench for them. Doesn’t the behavior of some citizens, who seem to forget the war, demotivate you?
- To some extent, yes. Remember 2014–2016? Do you recall how quickly everything escalated in 2015? We burned out within a year. At first, volunteers and civilians were pitching in and everything was going well, but then bureaucratic issues cropped up with volunteer networks, the Defense Forces, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and so on. And all tapered off. Yet the war in 2015–2016 didn’t stop. It may not have been as intense, but people kept fighting. Meanwhile, others were off resting…
- In Kyiv back then, you’d often hear: "The war is somewhere else."
- Yes. You can’t imagine how many times I heard—as a lieutenant at the start of the war in 2015–2016—"We didn’t send you there!" My friends and family heard the same. But I vividly remember that day at the beginning of the full‑scale invasion, when people who’d never even seen that many missiles were crossing the border in western Ukraine to come back. We had a real sense of unity then: everyone wanted revenge, to help the military, to join the Armed Forces. Attacks are still coming in. In fact, nothing has changed. I’m more than confident that once the "Drone Line" project goes live, people will change their minds and join the Armed Forces, helping us kill as many orcs as we want. And we want to kill 700 of them a month. Oh—I said "people." Sorry! Orc scum! You simply can’t call them people.
- In that same interview you mentioned, you said that only our clear, lucid minds and the number of different types of drones would help us win. Have we multiplied our UAV capabilities this year?
- Probably not just multiplied, but increased by dozens of times. A year ago, when we recorded that interview, I couldn’t have imagined the current scale or the sheer number of strike assets at our disposal. That number exceeds last year’s usage tenfold. And I’m not talking only about quantity, but also about quality and technology—digitization, optimization, and even neural networks. These are rather complex processes that we draw from various civilian technical solutions and integrate into military applications. Today, we have a vast array of such systems. Of course, many still need further modernization, but we won’t stop—we’ll make them a reality. Even if the war drags on for another two years, you’ll come back to me and say, "Remember in 2025, when we recorded that interview and you were talking about technologies—now you’ve partially replaced infantry with robots?!" Everything has its time. You know, when I was six and walked to first grade, I couldn’t have imagined ever owning a phone. Now I’m just over thirty, and we’re operating drones of various types that I could only see in "Star Wars" before. Everything is evolving. We simply have no other choice—we must fight with technology to preserve our infantry and our pilots. Everyone wants to come home alive.
- But the Russians are also actively advancing in this area. They’re now widely using fiber-optic drones…
- Yes, they are using these systems—but not to protect their personnel. They use them to improve targeting and to slightly enhance their combat effectiveness, in order to accelerate the seizure of our land.
- We also have such drones.
- Of course. For example, during an assault near Chasiv Yar, they used 13 vehicles. One BMD-2, carrying b#stards on top of the vehicle, was destroyed by our fiber-optic system. Yes, there are flaws on our side too. The system is constantly being upgraded. I wouldn’t call it a highly successful solution—there are still plenty of limitations. But it’s an additional strike asset. It’s slightly more expensive than standard radio-controlled systems. There are still technical issues that we’re working to fix. As for them, they’ve got plenty of systems. But out of ten drones, maybe three or four land near the target, and one actually hits it. The rest experience signal loss mid-flight.
- What about countermeasures? I remember when those types of drones first appeared, the guys said they were hard to shoot down.
- Yeah, you can only shoot them down with a pump-action shotgun, a Kalashnikov rifle. And even that’s difficult. EW—electronic warfare systems—are basically useless against them.
- What types of UAVs are they using most often on your direction now?
- Right now, their main UAV weapons are fiber-optic systems, FPV drones, and FPVs with radio control. Lately, we’ve also seen robotic ground drones more often. In the last two weeks, we’ve destroyed three of those. I can’t say how many they have left, but they are using them. Their logistics are complicated—we often disrupt them. But Russian orc sc#m still want to eat their sardines and drink their little water, so they deliver that stuff using ground-based robotic systems.
- What’s the situation with their pilots? Clearly, they’ve got professionals.
- You should never underestimate the enemy. Their pilots are well-trained, professional, and, of course, cunning. These are specialists who have nothing human about them. They don’t follow conventions, rules, or the laws of war.
Their number of sorties is about the same as ours. In terms of quality, we might be slightly ahead. I also want to say that my personnel, especially in my unit, are incredibly talented guys. No exaggeration—they’re intellectuals, many of them had no background in radio technology or UAVs, but they’ve learned fast and become highly skilled. I want to give them credit and say: they’re the best. So when it comes to piloting skills, the Russians still have some catching up to do. That said, we fully understand what we’re dealing with, and we’re always looking for them, so that we can keep flying longer. Because the moment they spot our crew, no exaggeration, everything starts flying our way—GABs, NFBs (non-fragmentation bombs), artillery shells to drones. But again, the right position and proper tactics allow the crew to stay alive and unharmed.
- To wrap up, I want to return to the question of peace talks not being able to stop Putin. What do you think could stop him?
- I don’t think anything can stop that pathetic "Jackie Chan" lookalike who is meter thirty-six tall. Considering how much personnel and equipment he’s lost over the past three years of full-scale war, most leaders in his position would’ve started thinking twice. If you look at the small amount of territory he’s managed to take, at such a cost, he’s actually lost. But he’ll keep looking for provocative ways to "lash out". If he couldn’t capture something, couldn’t seize it, then he’ll do harm, kill children, just because he likes it.
Things might stop only when they run out of troops—or when world leaders finally start doing something. As the president said: we will fight for as long as it takes. And I’m more than certain we will. We simply have no other choice. We’re paying far too high a price in the lives of our people.
Olha Moskaliuk, Censor.NET
