From the outside, the site located in an undisclosed location in Ukraine seems innocuous. A place that no one would pay attention to. However, at this precise moment from this room filled with computers and plasma screens the action of "a thousand drones" is coordinated, assures Commander Kyr, head of the "coordination center" for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that control this region.
"We defend from Konstantinivka [a town in Donetsk] to Energodar [located in Zaporizhia]," indicates the military leader, who once worked as a grain trader, a characteristic he shares with another strategist of the drone army of this country, Robert Magyar Brovdi, the chief of the Unmanned Systems Forces (USF).
On the monitors, you can see live footage of a Russian soldier being eliminated - struggling amidst the fire caused by the explosive launched by the UAV - or witness the smoke rising from a grove located in the areas occupied by Moscow's troops. The Ukrainians have just bombed it with medium-range missiles and drones.
"That is our response. We will kill them all," says Kyr. He refers to the reaction they have taken after the sudden aerial offensive initiated on the 27th by their adversaries against the city of Zaporizhia, where they sent several FPVs (small drones) that attacked two buses and the local governor's office.
Here, there are dozens of young people. None wear uniforms. The vast majority are in shorts and flip-flops. Bragman (his military nickname) could be one of those bearded hipsters who wouldn't look out of place in any European capital. In fact, he is a 34-year-old engineer who admits his devotion to everything related to information technologies.
His mission is to control, identify, and pinpoint the location of enemy artillery using the system he designed with an acquaintance. He receives information from drones with acoustic models and sensors that allow the identification of the "acoustic footprint" - as it is called in military jargon - of each of these war devices. His computer displays dozens of red grids. "Those are the ones we have attacked," he points out.
In the adjacent room, Safari - everyone here goes by nicknames - explains how they managed to destroy a Russian army "command center" in Vasylivka a few months ago, "combining information from seven intelligence sources."
"We gathered data from the wifi signal they use, from the social networks they frequent, from our agents on the ground, or from the images we receive from the drones. All of that together allowed us to identify the location, after three months of investigation," recounts the young man before showing a final video in which a huge explosion razes a site.
There is another room where yet another group is designing a mine deployment operation. Crash - that's his nickname - displays a detailed map of the chosen geography and points out where the mines should fall. "Here [he adds] we will place an ambush drone [fiber optic drones that remain immobile until they find a target]," he specifies.
The main meeting room features a huge screen where the activities of the "coordination center" are systematically tallied. There, you can read the targets they have attacked each month. On June 28, when this journalist visited the enclave, there were 6,641.
"We have forced the Russians to retreat from at least four villages in the south of Zaporizhia. We have pushed them back about 15 kilometers," estimates Kyr, who in addition to being in charge of the complex is also one of the leaders of the elite unit Lazar Group, one of the most effective in the Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces.
The Lazar Group emerged from the initiative of the businessman and former television producer Pavlo Yelizarov, who, like many other Ukrainians, volunteered to join the forces trying to halt the Russian invasion in 2022.
When the Ukrainians blocked the initial Russian assault in Kyiv, Pavlo moved to Zaporizhia and there discovered drones when he came into contact with a special forces unit that had started using them.
As he told Forbes magazine, the former businessman purchased an agricultural drone from a group of traffickers involved in the illegal cigarette business for $10,000, and on May 6, 2022, the device made its first flight with an anti-tank mine.
Kyr indicates that initially there were very few pilots. Five, according to Forbes. "There was Fish and Fénix. They were people who decided to experiment with agricultural drones, which connected to [satellites] Starlink. That's how it all started," he adds. The military group was officially established in September 2022.
He joined in November of that year, after fighting alongside several dozen infantry soldiers in Donbas, getting injured, and discovering his first Mavic (a Chinese drone) when one of his subordinates was operating it. "I saw that it was the future," he recalls.
Over the years, Lazar has become one of the most reputable units in the Unmanned Systems Forces. According to the monthly ranking, it usually ranks among the top five deadliest units in the country, alongside other names that appear repeatedly on that list, such as the special forces Alfa and the Magyar Birds led by Brovdi.
When President Vladimir Putin boasted last year that his drones had destroyed enemy material worth $2 billion, Forbes magazine clarified in an article that "only" Lazar had rendered thousands of tanks, artillery pieces, and a long list of military equipment inoperative, valued at over $12 billion.
The extensive command center coordinated by Kyr is part of a network of hidden facilities where Ukrainian experts in drone piloting are now grouped. The brutal war being fought in the European country has seen another tactical twist. Aware of the crucial importance that drone piloting experts have gained, determining the fate of the conflict, Kyiv has decided to withdraw pilots from the so-called "death zone" - where they used to hide in bunkers on the front line - and gather them in large rooms that resemble a gaming center but convey the harsh reality of the war live.
"Drones cost hundreds or a few thousand euros. But pilots are very valuable. We need between three months and a year to train them. The transfer of pilots is a phenomenon that has become widespread this year. We have increased the power of our batteries and the range of the antennas [maintaining the connection with the UAVs]. When Lazar started, we had to operate 3 to 5 kilometers from the front with our Mavics [reconnaissance drones]. Now we can be 40 to 60 kilometers away," explains Kyr.
The crucial importance of the "pilots" of these UAVs is best understood by looking at how many Russian pilot positions have been bombed by forces under Kyr's control. On the screen, more than twenty locations are marked in red. "Those are the ones we've attacked. We have to use between 10 and 12 FPV drones to take them out because they're very good at building their bunkers. Sometimes we level the place—we see the house crushed—but two days later, drones are coming out of there again," the commander admits.
The military leader takes us to another similar facility, located farther away from the command center. They are scattered across many areas. "There are pilots scattered throughout the country," Kyr notes. This is a room where three crews are operating. They are piloting Hornet drones, intended to strike Russian logistics operations supplying Crimea. One of their monitors shows a Russian van engulfed in flames—one they recently destroyed.
"The Russians have started camouflaging their military trucks by painting them white, for example. But we recognize them because they carry mobile anti-aircraft units for protection or REP systems [for electronic jamming] on the roof," says Da Vinci, the commander of this outpost.
Operations like the one organized by Da Vinci are linked to the activities of other pilots already stationed in the "death zone," such as the reconnaissance unit hiding in an underground shelter surrounded by trees and camouflage netting.
Denis is currently communicating with his comrades operating the AUV that is attempting to strike a convoy of trucks traveling near the town of Melitopol in occupied Zaporizhzhia. The cameras on their Sharks (reconnaissance drones) show the Sea of Azov in the background.
"Watch out, there's a zalupa [a jerk—referring to a Russian drone] in the sky! It's accompanied by a Molniya! Everyone get inside the bunker," another of the uniformed men shouts at that very moment.
The "coordination center" in southeastern Ukraine has been engaged in a very personal struggle since late last year with another elite Russian unit: the feared Varyag Brigade, which was formed following a split from Rubicon, another well-known Moscow-based drone unit.
"It's one of Russia's best unmanned systems units. They're equipped with some of the best drones available, including experimental and fiber-optic models with a range of up to 30 kilometers," acknowledged Vladyslav Voloshyn, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Armed Forces defending southern Ukraine, a few weeks ago.
A showdown between elite pilots reminiscent of the battles fought by legendary "flying aces" such as the German "Red Baron" or the Canadian Billy Bishop during World War I. "This is a battle between drone pilots," Kyr acknowledges.
"We will hunt them down and kill them all"
According to the Ukrainian, the Varyag forces arrived in Zaporizhzhia in June. "They've set up camp at the Energodar nuclear power plant. They're using it as a shield. They began operations in May in Nikopol. We already defeated them there, but they've received new equipment. It doesn't matter. We'll hunt them down and kill them all," he says.
The evolution of the drone war being waged in Ukraine has led to the emergence of a new group of uniformed personnel specializing exclusively in the deployment of these UAVs: the so-called "spotters." These are individuals who risk their lives to the utmost by approaching the combat zone to physically launch the flying device, which will then be piloted remotely.
To reach their position, one must cross steppes marked by enormous trenches filled with barbed wire, earthen mounds, and bunkers that barely protrude from the ground. Ukraine has designed a complex system of defensive lines in the southeast of the country to halt the Russian advance.
Lazar designs his own drones—like the ones the clique led by Cuba, a 54-year-old military officer, is about to deploy to the front lines. It is a heavy bomber, which on this occasion is carrying three explosives. "It can fly at up to 80 kilometers per hour and travel about 40 kilometers," explains the Ukrainian.
The squad is hiding in a forest, protected by two other members of Kyr's team equipped with rifles loaded with anti-UAV rounds. "There are a lot of Russian FPVs flying over the area," notes another person present.
The trip to the launch site is a complete gamble. Cuba says they use armored vehicles, electronic jamming systems, and their own "drone-hunting" rifles. "But talking about safety in this line of work is purely hypothetical. There's no such thing as absolute protection," he admits.
As he drives through the region in a vehicle constantly connected via satellite, Kyr receives news of the Russian airstrike on Zaporizhzhia. The videos are harrowing. One shows a public transit van with its roof torn off and covered in blood, with two bodies lying on the asphalt. Another shows a Russian FPV drone swooping down on a bus also packed with passengers. Tragedy is narrowly averted when the drone crashes into a traffic light and explodes as the bus passes by. "The Russians fight very dirty. It's pure terror. What military purpose does a passenger bus serve?" he asks.