Call Sign Expert: "It was just hell in Zaporizhzhia sector! The Russians could take a dugout and send 30-40 FPVs to destroy it in a day."

For the first three years, he performed tasks at checkpoints in the Mariupol area and in the city itself.

- What are your overall impressions of those events?

- It was not scary. The situation was not the same as it is now. Artillery worked very rarely. Only a couple of shells could hit the object for which our regiment was responsible.

- Where were you when the full-scale war started?

- I was a company commander at the time. As part of an operational battalion, from the first to the twenty-third of February, we were on exercises in the north of Ukraine. On the morning of 23 February, we left for Zaporizhzhia. And on the 24th, the war had already begun - we got back "on our wheels", so to speak, and went to fight in the Zaporizhzhia direction - Melitopol, Tokmak, and then the battalion took up defence near Orikhiv, where we stayed until the summer of 2024. The next day, we were transferred to the Pokrovsk direction. We performed tasks continuously for 1008 days without rotation. I remember it because we kept statistics. Then we were withdrawn in connection with the reorganisation and reformatting into an unmanned systems battalion. Although part of our unit continues to perform tasks in the Pokrovsk and Kurakhove directions.

- At the beginning, the situation in Melitopol was extremely difficult. The city quickly found itself under occupation due to an active enemy offensive. It was scary then, wasn't it?

- Yes, it was simultaneously and serious at the same time: aviation, convoys of vehicles, intense shelling. Unfortunately, there were the first losses, the first tears because of this...

- What do you remember most?

- That we were still inexperienced, and no one could tell us what to do in those circumstances. I remember the moment when the enemy confused the area. There is a settlement called Novoselivka in Donetsk Oblast, and a small village with the same name in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. They miscalculated in their maps and went not to Donetsk region as planned. There were about 150-200 cars. There was such a terrible noise. We were about ten kilometres away in a neighbouring village. Our battalion had APCs and 120mm mortars, which we quickly deployed and started to just pour mines on the road between the villages. I don't know if the enemy got scared then, but that convoy didn't go any further. They spent the night there, did all sorts of things (I remember the cars of Nova Poshta and Ukrposhta being turned over and run over) and left in the other direction. If they had gone in that direction, they would have had access to Orikhiv from the village of Omelnyk, the village of Komyshuvakha and the city of Zaporizhzhia - the so-called Mariupol road.

- How would you describe the enemy in general? What is he like?

- I would say that it is changing. At the beginning of the war, there was only one tactic: they travelled in columns, worked with artillery and used "Orlans" and "Elerons". For the first five months, as a company commander, I lived in a forest belt and organised the defence directly. I still remember how "Orlans" were circling overhead all night and 152-calibre artillery was firing away. But back then, it was still possible to dig, bring logs in more safely and make some kind of shelter, a stronghold, dugouts. Now it is difficult to do this on the front line. The "Orlan" is not a "Mavic", which can see everything in more detail and can also bring in a drop. The first can reconnoiter 800 metres to a kilometre and a half, while the latter can scout an average of 80-150 metres. We were then standing together with the 128th Brigade, which had the means to shoot down UAVs. By the way, at that time there were no FPV drones. No one even understood what they were. Even the Mavic's drops were not really used. And this is a very scary thing - it can cause a lot of grief. Today, these drones are used all the time. Plus, the enemy is now using wings to conduct deeper reconnaissance. They use the same "Zalas" to correct "Lancets".

-Why did you decide to fly? How did it all start?

- When I was the commander of an operational battalion, it had a platoon of special-purpose unmanned aerial vehicles. There weren't many people there, but we developed this area a lot. I believe it was one of the best UAV units in our brigade. We were flying both "Mavics" and FPVs. In the Zaporizhzhia sector, we flew at a range of up to 30 kilometres, which was very cool and serious. And we repelled the attacks with drops and FPV drones. Then it came to "Vampires" and "Bats", with ammunition weighing six to nine kilograms each. We dropped them on dugouts, on houses where the enemy was. We were conducting remote mining. All of this brought results in terms of defeating the enemy. And it was very good. Everyone understood this, so they focused on this, but without forgetting about the positions, infantry units and their safety. In the Zaporizhzhia sector, there was a period when people could not standing and watching, so they just were sitting in the shelter. And we were observing from our "Mavics". If the enemy was spotted somewhere, we immediately transmitted it so that the position could understand how far away the enemy was and what the overall situation was. That is, when they came closer, the infantry was warned and informed. This way, they were not allowed to get too close, because artillery was involved, and we worked with drops and FPV. Almost all of the enemy's attempts to reach our positions were levelled in this way. Of course, there were moments when they flew in with equipment, and you didn't have time to get there and react, or their electronic warfare systems were triggered, but we did everything in our power.

- You have such a variety- FPVs, "Mavics", and large UAVs...

- You can't do without it! You need to use everything in a complex. It is clear that the "Mavics" fly around the clock. Undoubtedly, you need a lot of them. FPVs are also needed. But when we first started to develop this area, we used them only during the day. Back then, I thought: is it really possible to use them at night? And then they appeared. It was cool! If we look at the percentage of attacks, 90% of the enemy's movements in the Zaporizhzhia sector took place at night. So night FPVs were a blessing for us in those circumstances. You can't really fly big "birds" during the day. And at night we work. This includes both remote mining and direct fire.

- But the Russians also have a considerable number of drones, including FPVs. They put this "story" on the assembly line.

- Yes, they have developed this area no worse than we have. If we take the Pokrovsk direction as an example, they used most of their FPVs on our vehicles. And in the Zaporizhzhia sector, it was just hell! They could take a dugout and send 30-40 FPVs to destroy it in a day. They were very good at it. It was very scary. As I said, the enemy did not move there during the day. We also made minimal movements "in the daylight". Even in the rear.

- Tell us about your battalion's supply situation. I'll even ask you this: what do you lack the most? Most often, I hear from the military that people...

- Indeed, people are always needed. Ideally, trained and, in our case, certified specialists. But if we take the tasks we are currently performing in two areas as an example, we estimate that we have enough people and means, except for "Mavics", because they are consumables. We always need them. And the more, the better. In terms of FPVs, we are more or less satisfied. I would like to have more night drones, because for a certain period of time they are enough, and then you have a minimum of them, so you save them for more serious purposes. That is, you spend it not on one infantryman, but on a group or equipment. As for wings, we have "Leleka" drones, "Furia" drones, and "Domakha" UAVs. The big drones are "Bats" and "Vampires". By the way, we would also like to have more of these.

In the matter of replenishing the unit, we conduct conversations, engage in recruiting, travel in different parts throughout the country, and agitate. Next comes the training. After they receive their certificates, we involve experienced guys who pass on their experience so that the newcomers can then work independently.

- Often people do not go because they are worried that they will immediately go to the front...

- No, no, no, no one gets there immediately. For example, we have now found a civilian who has expressed a desire to serve with us. We will conscript him, but we will not send him to war immediately. First, he will undergo training, where he will choose what he likes best - "Mavic", FPV, reconnaissance wing or large UAV. By the way, today we are still developing the area of ground robotic drones. So far, it's still at a minimal level - this is still a new story for us. But we are already learning. There are people who help us - volunteers from "Drone ZP" who produce them. We are grateful to them! We have established cooperation with them. They also train our guys. These ground robotic drones are an interesting thing. They can be used for evacuation, delivery of provisions, and combat support. They can be upgraded with turrets, automatic fire, so that they can travel with some kind of machine gun.

- What would you say to a person who wants to join your battalion today but is hesitant? How would you encourage them?

- If someone wants to fight and defend the country as part of our unit, they should immediately call me or someone from our headquarters, and we will tell them everything and explain. Or they can contact us via social media - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61562185411125, Instagram and Telegram https://t.me/ghost_of_khortytsia. Of course, we put people first.

- In our conversation, you have already mentioned that part of your unit is fighting in the Pokrovsk and Kurakhove areas, which are now called the most difficult. How would you describe what is happening there?

- The enemy spares no effort and means. They can climb for a week with infantry, and then drive for three days with tanks and IFVs. Sometimes they use ATVs or motorbikes, because the weather is too bad to move in this way. During daylight hours, they just come in waves - two to four infantrymen, and so on every 30 minutes. This way they accumulate with the support of artillery and drones. They storm and storm. Then they look further, clear the roads of mines and try to drive armoured vehicles. They enter a village, gain a foothold and try to advance. In the city of Selydove, there were situations where even my pilots were attacked. Luckily, they are mostly former stormtroopers, who took part in the counter-offensive were wounded and returned after piloting training. So they have worked hard and repelled the assault.

- I have heard stories of Russians organising a separate hunt for pilots. Does this also happen on your routes?

- Yes, it's true. They are looking for antennas, Starlinks, generators, which we disguise as much as possible to avoid detection. We are also looking for their pilots, because by hitting the same cables and antennas, you put them out of action for a certain period of time. By the way, in the Pokrovsk direction, we have already noticed that they are also using Starlinks.

- Do drones fly in "swarms"?

- Not so much in "swarms". If they are going to a longer distance, they can simply patrol. For example, where the altitude difference allows them to do so, they just watch a certain section of the road. They know that sooner or later our forces will be travelling here, so they wait. This is how they fly in the rear. Sometimes our vehicles appear somewhere and they try to hit it. Of course, we already have most of our vehicles with electronic warfare devices. But there are still different situations. The enemy manipulates the frequencies, introduces something of their own. Nowadays, there are many cases when they fly on fibre optics. We already have such drones, but they are still at the development stage because they are expensive. But they can afford it. And with fibre optics, you are no longer afraid of EW and surges. No EW system can suppress a fibre-optic drone, only a physical break in the cable.

- A pilot and engineer with the call sign Droid from the "Zliuky Bobry" unit, also in the Kurakhove sector, told me in an interview that it was very difficult there. I quote: "It feels like the Russians have assembled absolutely all the EW equipment here"...

- Indeed, it is difficult. But EW works in all areas. There is really a lot of it. However, we also introduce something of our own. We choose new frequencies, constantly change them - we fly on some and then switch to others. Some of it works, some doesn't, but we hit. Of course, EW is a problem. Sometimes, for example, the "Mavic" is jammed communication and video, but we are fighting it. Our pilots are experienced - they try, fly, conduct reconnaissance. But if the FPV is jammed, you can't get it out. However, as I say, we are also developing, inventing something new, working hard. It's not easy for the enemy.

- I asked you to describe the enemy on the battlefield. And now I want to ask you: what do you think about Russians and russia in general? Why do they cling to us so much?

- I think it's politics and envy, because we are better than them. We are more successful, more developed. We live better than they do. The majority of ordinary people may not understand this. But russia's political leadership is aware of this. You know, we used to take prisoners and asked them why they were fighting. Money. When asked what the command was saying, they answered: "We have to liberate them!"

- This jealousy has led to a very bloody war taking place today. Judging by the situation on the battlefield and political statements, the Russians have no plans to end it. They constantly threaten us with shelling, nuclear weapons, and "Oreshnik". How do you perceive all this?

- Personally, this just makes me angry. It's another impetus to work harder, destroy even more enemies and inflict maximum damage on them.

- What would you call this war? What is it like for you?

- This is a war for our future. We are not going to get away from it. We need to fight, develop and not lose our thirst for victory. I am confident that we will win this war.

- There is alot of talk now that the war could end in 2025. Do you believe it?

- I do. One of the main options that can be implemented is negotiations. Otherwise, it is unlikely. Neither they nor we will give in. And it is not for me to speculate and analyse about negotiations.

- But if negotiations fail, will it last for years?

- I'm sure it will.

- You have been fighting for so long. How much longer are you ready to be at the front?

- I'm not going to hide, to be transferred to a rear unit. I want to be useful. I'm sure I'm capable of it. I know a lot. I can pass on my experience and implement my skills and knowledge. My work should bring results. In my opinion, the main task of any commander is to preserve the life and health of his personnel. So I will fight as long as the war lasts. That's one hundred per cent!

Olha Moskaliuk, "Censor.NET"

Photos provided by the hero