War in Ukraine: with his small drone, this teenager helped to thwart a Russian offensive on Kyiv

No need to have one drone of combat, equipped with shells, to make move back the Russian army… It is what proved a teenager and his father on the side of Kyiv. At the very beginning of the conflict, when the Russians planned to take control of the capital of Ukraine, they helped their country’s army foil an offensive.

For a week after the February 24 invasion, father and son went on repeated sorties with their consumer drone to spy on the movements Russian convoys. Taking turns, they took aerial photos of the armored column heading north from Kyiv. They spotted the coordinates, then passed them on to the Ukrainian military.

A drone at 460 euros to destroy armored vehicles

L’Associated Press says that the artillery batteries then make it rain shells on approaching tanks. ” Those were some of the scariest times of my life, says Andriy Pokrasa, 15. We provided the photos and the location to the armed forces. They refined the coordinates more precisely and transmitted them by walkie-talkie, in order to adjust the artillery. »

On the photos of the teenager, we recognize a Dji Mini 2, which can be found on the market at 460 euros. Lightweight, since it weighs less than 250 grams, it is capable of taking 4K shots with a 4x zoom and its autonomy is estimated at 30 minutes. Entry-level equipment, yet so valuable in this conflict.

” I can operate the drone, but my son does it much better. We immediately decided that he would, says Stanislav Pokrasa, 41. More than 20 Russian military vehicles were destroyed, including tank trucks and tanks. »

The occupied village, the mother and her son take refuge in Poland

Despite this aid and the destruction of several vehicles, their village was occupied by the Russians, and the Ukrainian authorities asked them to leave their house for safety. Andriy’s mother then took her son with her to Poland where he finished his school year, while the father stayed, like all men over 18.

Eventually, the Russian forces retreated; the family was able to find their village and their house, and the teenager is proud to have been able to contribute to the resistance Ukrainian. ” I was glad we destroyed a fewhe said. I was happy to have contributed, to have been able to do something. I didn’t just sit there and wait. »

Since the beginning of the conflict, the Ukrainian army and its population have impressed with their use of drones. There is also an elite unit of drone pilots, called Aerorozvidka. It is made up of about fifty teams, perfectly coordinated, and its strong point is to strike at night while the Russian soldiers are sleeping. Maybe the teenager will apply one day…