ERR in Kharkiv oblast: Every Ukrainian army brigade has its drone unit

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine nears its fourth year, Ukrainian soldiers near the northern front in Kharkiv oblast are busy repairing and modifying drones in makeshift workshops, where skilled technicians push the limits of tech and their resources to maintain a crucial advantage on the front lines.
The war in Ukraine is often called a war of drones. Every brigade in the Ukrainian army has a drone unit, while some brigades also have specialized workshops, ERR's Anton Aleksejev and Tarmo Aarma reported.
With it still being winter in eastern Ukraine, most Ukrainian soldiers are spending the winter dug in.
One Ukrainian soldier, who gave his name as Tim, said in any case trenches are more welcoming than living in the field as such.
"At the end of last fall and the beginning of winter, we were existing in bivvies," he said.
"This was on an elevated forest path, where strong winds blew directly into the bivvies, which made it challenging. Additionally, no matter how you camouflage a tent, you can't make it as secure as a dugout. This is a matter of safety. There can only be a few dugouts of this kind for every 10 square meters, along the front line," Tim went on.
Some Ukrainian soldiers are being put up in private houses too, for instance, those staffing drone repair workshops, like the one ERR visited.
Personnel both modify civilian drones and repair those damaged in combat.
Roman, one of the drone technicians, said: "We fix about 30 drones a day on average. Much depends on the complexity of the work. Fifty percent of it involves reconfiguration, while fifty percent is repair."
As the full-scale war nears its fourth year, First-person view (FPV) or kamikaze drones are the primary weapon for both sides.
Both sides also actively use anti-drone devices, but in the end, everything depends on the individual operator.
Ukrainian soldier Viktor said: "An experienced pilot knows how to leave a danger zone and how to avoid it altogether.
"They know these zones, navigate them by map, and test out different routes. A pilot's experience and skills matter more than the number or quality of drones," he went on.
"There aren't enough men. If we had more people, we could make more drones," Roman said, adding that his workshop needs at least eight more workers.
Unlike with Roman and Viktor, who already worked with electronics before the war, for another soldier, Aleksei, it had been a hobby rather than a job — in civilian life, he had been a driver and welder.
During ERR's visit, Aleksei was assembling a drone relay — a new term in the new drone war.
"I can't go into the details, but thanks to this, our drones can fly over obstacles like forest paths or buildings. Without the relay, that would be impossible. So it increases range and efficiency," he explained.
Viktor and his comrades had set up their drone workshop in a house previously occupied by civilians who were forced to flee the war. Viktor found an old photo album amidst the detritus in the shed being used for the work.
"They were forced to leave behind their belongings and their ancestors' belongings, to flee. We are in this war so that no one ever has to throw their life into the trash can or flee and seek refuge again," Viktor reflected.
Russian forces themselves have been continuing to use drone strikes on Kharkiv, which despite being an intermittent target for Russian attacks since the invasion began, due to its proximity to the border, has held out throughout all that time.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Merili Nael
Source: 'Aktuaalne kaamera'