The FPV Drone Pilots Behind the Ukrainian War
AI Analysis
The war in Ukraine has evolved to be heavily reliant on FPV drone warfare, shifting from reconnaissance to a central component of combat operations since late 2023. Ukrainian units like the 13th Khartiia Brigade are adapting by training soldiers as drone pilots and leveraging a civilian-supported 'DIY drone economy'. This has led to a constant need for improved skills to counter increasingly sophisticated Russian drone tactics.
Key Takeaways
- FPV drones are now a 'pulsing lifeblood' of the conflict, used for scouting, attack, and counter-drone operations.
- The 13th Khartiia Brigade, a National Guard of Ukraine combat brigade, is actively employing FPV drone pilots.
- Russian forces are actively employing camouflage and deception tactics with their drones, necessitating continuous Ukrainian training.
- Ukrainian soldiers are experiencing significant psychological and physical strain due to the constant threat of drone attacks and harsh living conditions.
- There is a high demand for skilled drone pilots, leading to a shift of personnel from traditional infantry roles.
Why It Matters
The Ukrainian conflict demonstrates the decisive impact of drone technology on modern warfare, highlighting the need for robust counter-drone capabilities and skilled drone operators. The reliance on civilian-sourced drone components and the rapid adaptation of tactics suggest a future where asymmetric warfare utilizing readily available technology will become increasingly prevalent. This necessitates a re-evaluation of defense strategies and investment in both offensive and defensive drone technologies.
The FPV Drone Pilots Behind the Ukrainian War
The FPV Drone Pilots Behind the Ukrainian War
Bar and Fiksyk of the Khartiia Brigade practice FPV drone flying outside Kharkiv.
Under the protection of a forest outside Kharkiv on the northeastern front, Ukrainian soldiers are staccatoed throughout the birch and linden trees as they practice flying first-person-view (FPV) drones. Civilians walking dogs or seeking moments of relative quiet stroll past; there’s high-pitched buzzing from these small 10-inch drones, undercut by intermittent air raid alarms blasting from the city. These have become ubiquitous sounds of war in Ukraine over the past four years.
This is a war now fought not only with soldiers, but on the Ukrainian side, fortified by DIY drone economies— built underground, funded by civilians—many who have made the career pivot to focus on military support—and littering the soil with the toxic remains of a fight for survival.
Fiksyk, a 21-year-old member of the Khartiia Brigade.
Two FPV drone pilots introduce themselves by their call signs ‘Bar’ and ‘Fiksyk,’ in accordance with Ukrainian security rules. Both are members of the 13th Khartiia Brigade, a combat brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine, formed as a volunteer battalion to protect Kharkiv. Bar has fought this war from the trenches and now from the sky. What the drone war is becoming—faster and more improvisational—is also his lived experience.
“Right now the enemy is disguising themselves very well,” explains 35-year-old Bar. “We are constantly training to match that.” They work 24/7 in any weather, under any conditions. Trench life is awful, he says—there’s no rest, the constant edge of sheer survival while identifying weaknesses in the Russians. Time on rotation blurs together, particularly when soldiers stay underground, seeking protection from enemy drones, not seeing sunlight for long stretches of time. Having to defecate in a bag, not having running water, being separated from family, witnessing unbelievable horrors, not having the means or bandwidth to process ongoing trauma. It all takes a toll.
For Bar and his comrades, the escalation of this war into one contingent on drones means an ongoing anxiety that some flying machine is searching for them to kill.
Since late 2023, this war has largely come down to how cleverly and skillfully drones are wielded. Bar describes their days as one big blur—fitful sleep when possible, charging batteries, scouting the enemy, repositioning as needed. When Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, drones were mainly used for reconnaissance. Now, they have become the war’s pulsing lifeblood. “The world has changed, drone pilots are very in demand right now,” says Bar, who was in the infantry before making the shift himself in 2023, as dictated by his unit’s needs. For soldiers fighting on the frontlines, they are witnessing unparalleled shifts to global security.
Fiksyk, member of the Khartiia Brigade, p