Commander of "Minions," call sign Ramses: "In week, air battle can change so much that you won’t even remember how it was two months ago"
Serhii, call sign Ramses, commands the "Minions" UAV-interceptor unit. He is originally from Kharkiv. Before the full-scale war, he owned a business, but it was destroyed by the Russians when they launched their offensive. He evacuated his family from the city and spent a month in Novovolynsk, contemplating his next steps.
– I was furious because they destroyed everything I had achieved in life," he recalls. "The desire for revenge and patriotism pushed me to decide to fight. Some acquaintances invited me to join the Territorial Defense. But TCR (Territorial Centre of Recruitment and Social Support) misled me a bit, and I ended up in the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade. I don’t regret it, although I witnessed some unpleasant things, especially how our people were managed. At first, they gave me a platoon of drunks…
– How did you handle them?
– Fine. Let’s say it was the worst platoon in the battalion. But when serious combat started, those guys became an example to others because they weren’t afraid and completed their assigned tasks. Maybe not as skillfully as professional soldiers, since most were mobilized, but they tried.
– You were a civilian, not a professional soldier. Did you have time for training?
– I was lucky, I underwent quite serious training with Canadian instructors. At that time, there was no shortage of personnel, so I had time and opportunity. Plus, I have a military education; I graduated from a military department. People like me are called "ninety-day wonders". Maybe that’s why I wasn’t very interesting at first. Moreover, my specialty was ‘radar stations.’ With that military occupational specialty, you can’t just put me into infantry, so I had to undergo infantry training. That’s how I got proper military preparation. Let me tell you: thanks to it, I later managed to save my life. I knew how to handle weapons and much more. Although, of course, the war has changed a lot now. I can’t imagine how I would have fared in Bakhmut today, where FPV drones swarm in packs. But back then, that wasn’t the case.
– Tell us about Bakhmut. What memories do you have from there?
– We survived day by day. Unshaven, unwashed, hungry, and nobody cared. But we had to complete the tasks. That was the situation there.
– Wagner mercenaries fought in Bakhmut. The contingent was diverse, but overall, they were trained and experienced fighters. A tough opponent, right?
– Very tough. I saw with my own eyes how one Wagner fighter drove 27 men out of a trench and they ran away. That’s what you call experience and training. And what about us? Imagine a person who was just selling shoes two weeks ago gets handed a rifle and told, "Go there, sit in a dugout, and fight." It’s cold, no food, no conditions, constant shelling. By the third or fourth day, a civilian starts losing their mind. That’s natural. Nothing unusual about it. People aren’t taught to kill others; that’s not in our nature. Those who did it professionally, that’s a different matter. Wagner mercenaries also had many convicts; we captured some of them. But you understand, that’s a different category. They were used to poor conditions. For them, legal access to weapons was even a privilege.
– Where did you end up after Bakhmut?
– I was transferred to a Ground Forces regiment as an analyst. But I decided I’d be more useful elsewhere. As it turned out, I was right.
– How did you get into the "Minions"?
– The "Minions" were actually my project from the start. Here’s how it went: we fought and fought, but we all know rockets eventually run out. Still, you have to resist the enemy. At that point, there was a push in the military to try shooting down enemy reconnaissance UAVs with our own drones. So, units like that started to form. We gave it a shot too. At first, they gave us those infamous state "Phoenix" drones that tend to explode on their own. They’re only really good for infantry—you launch it, send it one way, and that’s it. But as an anti-air drone, they’re totally useless. Since nothing was working with them, I proposed to take on this direction myself. It fit my background, since I graduated from Kharkiv Institute of Radioelectronics. I "fixed" the first drones. Within a week, we scored four hits with them. That’s how it all started rolling. We began expanding mostly thanks to volunteers. Added crews. We decided it was time to give ourselves a name. Sitting with the guys, talking, I suggested picking a unit name. We debated, a lot of noise. I said, "You act like a bunch of minions!" And just like that, the name stuck. The guys were young and took it on, and off we went.
– When was this?
– In October last year. I called a designer friend I knew from everyday life. He created our emblem within a day.
– I know you work against reconnaissance UAVs…
– That’s our primary task—shielding the infantry.
– You shoot down Orlans, ZALAs, and Supercams. Which target is the toughest?
– The ZALA. They’ve upgraded it with a rear-view camera, and it pulls off manoeuvres no FPV drone can match. It’s a single-wing drone: the propeller folds, it drops to very low altitude, then performs a ring-shaped dive you simply can’t reproduce. Once it spots us, it often slips away like that.
– Because it knows it’s about to get hit.
– Exactly. But the enemy is evolving as well—some Supercams can dodge now. Still, the ZALA is the most serious threat.
– Have they fielded anything new?
– Zala Z-20.
– Is it better?
– I wouldn’t say so. It’s just a bit larger and faster. They’re sticking with the same line, simply refining the specs, higher ceiling, more speed. They evolve, and so do we. Let me put it this way: the very first "Wild Hornet" drone we got has been upgraded so much that today we’d hardly manage to work as effectively with it as with the current models. Tech never stands still. We’re always chasing extra velocity, wider antenna separation, better cameras, better batteries, anything. We look for ways to beat the weather so we can fly when it’s not all sunshine and zero wind. The search for new solutions never stops.
– Your unit’s Telegram channel recently posted a video of an enemy UAV kill, calling it a real "Molniyas shower." So there are plenty of Molniyas too?
– Molniyas buzz around the whole line of battle contact—sometimes hundreds a day, especially where our troops are packed together. Every one we shoot down definitely saves at least one soldier’s life. That thing’s built, pardon the language, out of crap and sticks, yet it’s effective and causes plenty of damage. They usually fly low. If we manage to hit one, that’s a success. Sure, it hurts to sacrifice one of our own drones for such a target, but we’ve learned to live with it, so we keep at it.
– Back in February, your channel said it usually took five or six FPV drones to down a single enemy reconnaissance UAV. What about today? Has that figure changed?
– I don’t know what it is for other units—people don’t share that information much.
– And for you?
– You’ll think I’m bragging, but our figure is several times lower. It’s all about our approach: we take every drone and perfect it. It’s not that the manufacturers do anything wrong—they mass-produce a good platform. We just refine it, turning a Mercedes into a Brabus. Thanks to that, our wasted-loss rate stays very low.
– You operate around the clock. When is the enemy most active?
– They divide the front into sectors—primary and secondary. On the primary sector, they are in the air 24/7, even in poor weather, trying to maintain constant presence. If a sector is less hot, you see fewer of them there. Overall, they continuously scan the entire line of battle contact, tracking any changes or troop movements.
– Is it easier to fly now in daylight or at night, or does it no longer matter?
– It depends more on the crew. Some pilots find night work easier. Whether someone is a "lark" or an "owl" matters, as does health—eyesight, for instance. The approach is individual. That’s why I stay in daily contact with my pilots. We discuss difficulties, what isn’t working, what we’re doing next, how we’ll adapt. We analyze why, for instance, an enemy UAV was not shot down and what must be done—perhaps upgrade the drones or bring in additional ones. Therefore, we must determine whether this particular pilot can operate at night. If his physical condition does not allow it, he will perform missions during the day.
– Pilots often choose which UAV they want to fly. I know some who dislike the Mavics, for example. But, to me, the main thing is simply having drones available at all.
– Of course. We work with anti-air drones, which fall into two classes: FPV wings and FPV quadcopters, both of which can be daytime or nighttime models. We also strike the enemy with the wings. Their advantage is longer flight time and greater range. Yes, they’re harder to shoot down. If the target performs a maneuver and you don’t react in time (since you’re chasing at a higher speed) and the target loops around, it becomes much tougher. FPV quadcopters are more maneuverable but have a shorter range and less airtime. They can hover and wait for an enemy drone. Wings can’t afford to do that, but they can stay airborne for up to an hour, taking off early to monitor. Overall, it’s a whole complex of tactics.
– My pilot acquaintances say enemy drones hunt our drones. Do you experience the same?
– That's exactly right. So we need to think about people's safety. The guys must have mini-EW systems and various additional equipment. And of course, they need to stay in cover. Ideally, all underground.
– About a year ago, I talked with Lieutenant Colonel Denys Nahornyi from the National Guard about how trench warfare might turn underground. What’s your take?
– I wouldn’t rule it out, considering the tunnels they’re digging now. They’re already building underground cities. One trench can house up to 500 people, with everything, kitchen, showers, and so on. War drives new conditions; it’s always about development and implementing ideas. So maybe the war will indeed move underground. You see, there are aerial drones, sea drones, ground drones, I think soon we’ll have underground drones too.
– One of the new ideas has been fiber-optic drones, which are already so numerous on the front that our fields are practically "covered" with them. When they appeared, did it become harder to operate?
– Yes. Because rotations have to be conducted, no one can stay on position all the time. The presence of fiber-optic drones increases the danger precisely during these moments. Electronic warfare systems don’t affect them at all, so it’s easy to get caught off guard. There have been unfortunate cases—injuries. That’s not good, because every pilot is worth their weight in gold. Of course, like any other soldier. But it’s probably harder for us. An infantryman on the battlefield can’t go higher or lower than the ground. Our job is to find the enemy in different planes—full 3D: up, down, left, right. Look, an infantryman sits in a trench and a drone takes off. He understands there’s no one behind him. The drone flies straight ahead, searching for either personnel or equipment and strikes. He roughly knows the area he’s covering. We don’t have that. Our search area ranges roughly from 500 meters to six kilometers. For example, an object at altitude and 200 meters away turns into just a dot. You might simply miss it. You have to constantly turn around because it could be behind you, to your left or right. Our work is like looking for a needle in a haystack. This new direction is very promising but challenging. The state must not hinder its development. Today, it survives thanks to volunteers.
– I saw that even children support you. One little girl gave Serhiy Sternenko’s community painted shell casings, which helped raise 80,000 hryvnias for drones for your unit. That’s really touching…
– It’s really heartening when people show support. Those are the ones who understand the importance of our work. Because some don’t fully realize it...
– Who are you talking about?
– Let’s not get into that.
– Why not?! Let’s talk. There are, for example, draft dodgers who hide from the military enlistment offices and do nothing for the army.
– I’ll tell you this: it’s each person’s choice. Maybe I think that way because I used to be a civilian. I repeat: it’s not natural for a person to kill another person. I like my work now because I understand that I’m damaging not people, but technical equipment. That gives my heart more peace. So, as I said, it’s everyone’s business. Of course, something needs to be done about it...
– That’s exactly what I mean, you need people.
– We desperately need them. We have a huge problem in this regard. But there are people responsible for solving it. That’s not my task. I think about those under my command.
– You’re on the Zaporizhzhia front. Has the situation changed here in the last six months?
– We’ve thoroughly "weeded them out." They understood that they need to fear us. Plus, there’s another important point—our drone costs many times less than what they lose.
– But they still have a significant number of UAVs.
– Without reconnaissance, nothing happens—no one will move forward. So they’re looking for solutions. It’s a war of technologies. In just one week, an air battle can change so much that you won’t even remember what it was like two months ago. And last year? That was child’s play compared to now. Yet we were complaining back then.
– Judging by what’s happening, the enemy probably doesn’t plan to stop, right?
– They don’t plan to. Why would they?! Speaking as someone who’s been in business, I’ll tell you this: if the war suddenly stopped one day, they would face an economic collapse. Right now, their military is a controlled chaos. If the fighting stops, it becomes uncontrolled. These people return home, and they’ve already gotten used to living large because they receive decent money. Plus, they’re used to killing. This will lead to a surge in crime. Also, how do you suddenly stop the economic momentum by halting the production of rockets and tanks? It won’t happen. They’ve ramped up their industrial capacity very well. This is a massive machine currently working exclusively for war. There’s a power struggle going on. Those in power, Putin or some family-run Rotenberg business, are enriching themselves more and more at the expense of their people and the war. So they have no strong reasons to end it.
– So those so-called ceasefire talks are just a smokescreen?
– Exactly. Putin needs to show Trump that he’s willing to make some concessions—not to anger him too much. So he proposes a meeting in Istanbul. Our side says, "No problem, we’re going," but where is he? He’s just playing hide and seek. It’s all unserious. A person who really wants negotiations behaves differently: you agree, and then you act. But Putin is fine with the current state of affairs. He clearly understands that as long as the war continues, he’ll stay in power. Because the economy is unlikely to collapse. And natural resources will continue to be bought by China, India, and similar countries.
– We see that Russians only understand force...
– Our situation isn’t easy. There are a lot of Russians. We can only defeat them with quality. Our task is to develop it. That’s the only way to resist.
– Do you even pay attention to these negotiations?
– No. We never do. We mostly ignore the news. We work around the clock.
– But there have been news stories you simply can’t ignore—like the Pavutyna ("Spiderweb") operation conducted by the SSU.
– Absolutely! That was a massive success for our special services. But we still can’t relax. The Russians have a lot of resources.
– Do such news inspire you?
– Of course! The guys’ spirits are high. It makes you want to work even harder. You realize that those handling bigger operations are succeeding. That means what we’re doing should succeed too. Even if only for a short time, it’s a moral boost. I’ll tell you more: after that news, we actually inflicted even more damage.
– Finally, how long are you ready to keep fighting?
– The people I brought to "Minions" depend on me. These are my guys. I can’t just abandon them and leave. They’re family now. So I’m staying here.
P.S.: Friends, for our military to successfully complete their missions, drones are essential. If you have the opportunity, please help.
Details: Bank link:https://send.monobank.ua/jar/A42RCiGk67
Bank card number 4441 1111 2423 0685
Olha Moskaliuk, Censor.NET
Photos and videos provided by the interviewee
