He writes that the special forces of 30 soldiers on the ATVs have become an essential part of the Ukrainian army in the fight against the Russian invaders. Defender In a sense about the Aerosvitka unit, it was used by the Ukrainians to prevent the Russian invasion.
One week after the start of the Ukrainian invasion, Russia assembled 60 kilometers of military equipment and prepared for an attack on the capital, Kiev.
But the convoy of armored vehicles and supply trucks was intercepted and the attack failed, mostly due to the continuous night ambush of a group of 30 Ukrainian Special Forces soldiers and ATV drone operators, according to Ukrainian officials.
The drone operators were brought in from the aerospace division of Aerosvitka, which began eight years ago as a team of IT professionals and enthusiastic volunteers who designed their own devices and became a key component of Ukraine’s successful endurance.
However, despite the provision of thousands of anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles and other military equipment by Western Ukrainian supporters, Aerosvitka was forced to pursue a network of crowdfunding and personal communications, seizing components such as advanced modems and heating chambers.
The commander of the unit, Lt. Col. Yaroslav Honsar, provided information about an ambush near the city of Ivankiv, which helped stop the Russian offensive. He said Ukrainian ATV fighters were able to access the advancing Russian column at night through the woods on both sides of the road from Chernobyl to southern Kiev.
Ukrainian soldiers are equipped with night-vision goggles, sniper rifles, long-range landmines, drones equipped with thermal cameras and small 1.5 kg bombs.
“This small unit destroyed two or three vehicles at the head of the convoy at night and then stopped it. They stayed there for two more nights and destroyed several vehicles,” Honsar said.
The Russians broke the column into smaller units in an attempt to advance towards the Ukrainian capital, but the same attacking group was able to attack the supply depot, stifling the Russians’ advance.
“The first level of the Russian army is blocked without resources. And it happened because of the labor of 30 people,” Honsar said.
On the first day of the war, Aerosvitka claimed responsibility for defeating a Russian airstrike at Hostomal Airport northwest of Kiev, using drones to locate, target and bomb about 200 Russian paramedics hiding at one end of the airport.
“This greatly helped the Russians not being able to use the airport to further their attack,” said Lt. Taras, one of Hon’ble advisers.
Not all details of these reports can be verified independently, but US security officials helped stop the armored column around Ivankiv from Ukrainian attacks.
The large number of videos released by the Ukrainians underscores the importance of drones’ regression.
What is the Aerosvitka unit
The unit was formed by young Ukrainian university students who took part in the 2014 Maidan uprising and volunteered to use their technological skills in combating the first Russian invasion of the Crimea and the Donbass region.
Its founder, Volodymyr Kochetkov-Sukach, was killed in 2015 during a battle in Donbass.
Honsar was a former soldier who became an IT marketing consultant and returned to the military after the first Russian invasion. Taras was an executive consultant who specializes in fundraising for the unit and only joined as a full-time fighter in February.
In its early days, the unit used commercial surveillance drones, but a team of its engineers, software designers and drone enthusiasts later developed their own devices.
They developed a variety of surveillance drones, as well as large 1.5-meter drones with eight rotors, capable of firing bombs and anti-tank grenades, and developed a system called Delta, which helped them. A digital map, through which commanders can see the enemy’s movements in real time. He now provides real-time data to Ukrainian artillery units using Elon Musk’s Starling satellite system, allowing them to focus on Russian targets.
The unit was disbanded by the then defense minister in 2019, but was hastily re-established in October last year due to the threat of a Russian invasion.
The success of Ukraine’s guerrilla tactics requires the ability to maintain an aerial view of Russian movements. But Aerosvitka’s efforts to expand and replace war-damaged equipment have been hampered by a limited supply of drones and components. The unit is also looking for ways to bypass the Russian congestion.
Aerosvitka is currently waiting for the Russians to turn off their jamming equipment to launch their own drones.
Honchar describes these technological wars and the aerospace warfare system as the “future of war” so that smaller teams and advanced technology can defeat a larger and more armed enemy.
“We are like a honeycomb,” he said. “A bee is nothing, but if you face a thousand, it can defeat a great force. We are like bees, but we work at night,” said Lt. Col. Yaroslav Honsar.
Author: Robert Kiss
“Evil gamer. Amateur music trailblazer. Alcohol geek. Problem solver. Coffee advocate. Troublemaker. Infuriatingly humble zombieaholic.”