In the gray zone, which at times stretches up to 40 kilometers wide, it is not enough simply to watch your sector, because the occupiers can appear from anywhere. The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle unit operates within the reach of countless russian weapons systems, fully aware that once the launch site is detected, the enemy will spare no bombs or shells, let alone a symmetrical response. The men here come from different countries and different fates. Many have endured brutal infantry battles; most returned to duty after being wounded. They know well what "eyes" mean for the infantry — how vital it is to deliver information in time, and how precious it is to strike and eliminate a threat on their own. Clear, precise, systematic — without unnecessary emotions, seeing the task through despite the ever-present risk of death.
Dom is an officer of the 3rd International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine. He commands the UAV unit and has led the team for nearly a year. Together with Sergeant Andrii, callsign Borsuk (Badger), the legionnaires show us the position of the drone pilots.
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Dom’s combat path began back in 2015 in the volunteer unit "Carpathian Sich." Since then he has fought in the infantry and commanded a reconnaissance group. With the start of the full-scale invasion, he returned to his 93rd Mechanized Brigade, with which he fought across almost all of Kharkiv region: defending Kharkiv, Izium, Soledar, Bakhmut. After his second wounding, Dom once again came back to service — this time in the Legion.
"Foreigners are a special case," the commander shares. "They perceive words, thoughts, and events through their own experience and worldview. You have to understand that. When you can have 10–15 different countries and continents represented in one unit, bringing it all into a single system so people work as one organism is a challenging task. Many of them have served in their home countries, in other armies. We can learn from them. Their combat organization experience is valuable. Is it absolutely relevant? No. Because most of the world lags behind us in understanding modern warfare."
Sergeant Borsuk has not been wearing a pixel uniform for long, but his extreme driving on dangerous frontline roads clearly shows that this is not a new activity for the legionnaire.
"Andrii, before joining the army, helped us as a volunteer for years," Dom explains. "Sometimes he delivered cargo to places many military units couldn't always reach."
The men’s pickup truck looks like a monster built for off-road rallies. The first kilometers already show the expensive modifications were made not for show. The soldiers don't hide it: even this suspension struggles under frontline realities, demanding constant care and costly repairs. But here, such things are a matter of life and death.
"The specifics of driving in today's frontline zone rely a lot on hearing and on knowing the terrain," Andrii explains. "As one Israeli general once said, the gray zone today can stretch almost 40 kilometers — 20 on our side, 20 on theirs. Weapons are so cheap and precise that this grayness is much deeper than before. And you must account for that while moving on frontline roads. You need to understand the terrain, the enemy's methods, and know where to speed up, where to hide behind folds of land, and where you can move relatively calmly."
Dom does not hide his pride in his men:
"When a person truly wants something, has a goal, understands how to achieve it, wants to learn and to change — that is the key to success. We managed to organize this process, to close the cycle, to complete the task. And as a commander, I feel pride and respect for my people, that my unit has accomplished this."
The officer harbors no illusions about a quick or easy end to the war. He and his team have long prepared themselves for difficult, drawn-out combat work:
"Every time a target — a tank, an armored vehicle, anything — was struck and destroyed, you realize it no longer poses a threat. The systematic elimination of enemy forces is our main task. Back in 2022 I already understood that war cannot be seen as a sprint. It has to be steady, methodical work. That's why I try to approach it without emotions. We have a task, we have a job, and we must do it in our place."
At the position, work hums: radio chatter, operators' actions, short commands, the technical sounds of various equipment, and, of course, the explosions of enemy strikes in the distance — impossible to measure precisely, but always present.
Due to his specialty, the legionnaire with the call sign Frodo leads a rather isolated lifestyle. He does not often meet his brothers-in-arms from other units. But he understands the responsibility of his work well, so he gives his all:
"Today you understand the importance of seeing from above. The infantry feels a bit more secure knowing someone is watching over them. There are risks with logistics, difficulties during flights. Sometimes the brain is exhausted, and you spend energy just to focus your gaze. Being on different positions, the terrain always differs from the drone’s perspective. This affects the radio horizon. Sometimes you have to improvise: fly blind, try ways to cross or turn until you find stability in flight."
It is easy to talk about resilience and patriotism with pathos from the deep rear. The interview takes place directly at the position, so Frodo does not hide that, like every soldier, he wants peace. But not the kind of "peace" that would only lead to an even bigger wave of the enemy later:
"For our country to recover and develop in every sphere: cultural, technological, social. And of course economic — because that influences everything else too."
What Frodo values most in his brothers-in-arms is mutual understanding, composure, cold-bloodedness, the ability not to panic nor spread panic under any circumstances:
"This is very important in some cases. You feel calmer yourself when such people are around. We all understand each other, even though my foreign language skills are not perfect. Psychological endurance under hostile fire is not something that comes naturally. It is acquired with experience. As for the guys I'm here with, you can always turn to them for help with electrical engineering or anything else. They will always help and advise you."
Bugs from Ireland has been in the Legion since July last year. He completed his master's degree and planned to start doctoral studies, but eventually decided to join Ukraine's Armed Forces:
"I served in the French Foreign Legion as infantry. I figured I could use these skills in battle."
Despite his academic background and combat experience, Bugs is strikingly modest, with a sharp sense of humor. His callsign, taken from the famous cartoon rabbit, conceals a deep mind and formidable character. In Ukraine, Bugs has carried out six missions as infantry, was twice wounded by enemy drones, but doesn’t consider what he’s done extraordinary:
"We were just sitting on positions. But, you know, people take it as normal because the front line is so stretched. Look at the gray zone: because of drones, in some places it's up to 40 kilometers wide. You try to hold this line, and without infantry up front you can't maintain all this — with generators, Starlink, everything. It was good. I liked it. But it was hard too."
He notes that the nature of the war has changed both infantry and drone work. It's no longer enough to just watch one sector. UAV operators must now scan much wider areas. When they detect the enemy, they engage. If they can't, they pass the information to infantry for destruction.
During the interview, explosions occasionally rumble nearby. After one of them we ask how he manages to keep calm and humor in such conditions.
"I don't get the question — this, brother, feels like vacation," the soldier laughs. "When you've been hammered by FPV drones, 152-millimeter artillery, mortars, and small arms — compared to that, what we’re hearing now, damn, this is like a holiday!"
Having served in different armies, he has long formed his own view of military life:
"I like being a soldier, but I hate the army. I hate the structure, the politics, all the small nonsense going on there. People need to be on the frontline. They just need to get off their asses, come out here, work, dig if needed. Nobody is too good for that. You just have to tame your ego and do the job. I like it because I love to work, and here there’s a lot of work. That keeps me busy."
Finally, we jokingly ask who he hates more — the enemy or mosquitoes.
"Oh, f**k, brother, russians, hands down, russians. But, you know, the mosquitoes here aren’t so bad. The last place we dug was awful, here it’s fine…"
Oleksandr is Ukrainian. He also returned to the front after being wounded and concussed. Altogether he has been at war for over a year. In civilian life he was a journalist, but decided that if he was urging others to support the Armed Forces, he himself should don the uniform and personally protect his beloved and his family. Considering his media experience, it is Oleksandr whom his brothers-in-arms entrusted to address the audience with an appeal for fundraising:
"Together with the International Legion Fund we are raising 100,000 hryvnias for the repair of reusable reconnaissance drones. Repairing several drones costs the same as one new one, so it's vital to keep them flying, to make our work more effective: spotting the enemy, destroying them, destroying their equipment, and conducting reconnaissance."
As is traditional for the Ukrainian Defense Forces, the guys have prepared gifts for those who support them:
"Please join our fundraiser. As an incentive we're offering three spots for tactical firearms training with the best instructors of our battalion. In these classes you'll master the assault rifle and tactical shotgun, guided by the mentors who train us. Every 200 hryvnias gives you a chance to win this training. Thank you all for your support. Glory to Ukraine!"
Although the work of UAV operators is considered less dangerous than that of infantry, this is all very relative. Every departure from position, and return to it, is a complex logistical operation. Rounds chambered, movement by the rules, everyone alert. At times you must brace yourself not to get injured even inside the vehicle, when Borsuk makes a sharp but necessary maneuver in places that must be passed "as if you’d never been there." Explosions at different distances remind you that this forest is full of predators whose strikes are lethal. Against the general backdrop, kilograms of explosives in the truck bed do not add to the tension of the situation.
This is the rhythm the men live daily — going out here, and often to even more dangerous locations, as if to a job. In fact, not "as if." For weeks, months, years. Methodically and systematically turning russian occupiers' assets into bursts of flame and clouds of smoke and dust. Because they are soldiers of a special forces battalion, legionnaires of the free world, the best people on this planet, who neutralize evil with their own hands — so that tomorrow for our children will be better than our today.
The authors join the request to support the fundraiser for the repair of reusable reconnaissance drones for the UAV Unit of the 3rd International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine. You can contribute via the link: https://send.monobank.ua/jar/AeLyBGXHCJ
There will be far more "cold" occupiers, and those who take part in the fundraiser will have the chance to learn to handle an assault rifle and tactical shotgun under the guidance of experienced special forces instructors whose lethal skill has saved many lives.
Learn more about the International Legions for the Defense of Ukraine and join them via the link: https://ildu.mil.gov.ua/
Text: Volodymyr Patola
Photo, video: Oleksandr Los, Volodymyr Patola
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