it's put classroom training into practice day for
Katarina. She asked us to only use her first name
because though she's a civilian now working as a border
guard, she plans to become a combatant. Why are you
here Because I'm going to mobilize with the army, she
says in a conflict increasingly defined by drone
warfare, Ukraine's military realized how urgently it
needs thousands more drone pilots. So began creating
from scratch around the country academies like this one
in Kiev that offer a week long basic training course
Katarina is one of the few civilians in her 40 person
class. Others were assigned by their commanders to come
here, skill up and then return to the front lines as
their units eye in the sky. The commander knows he
needs a drone departments. This is a drone war. Yes, we
call it the war of drones, Anton is one of the school's
instructors and an example of someone who's civilian
experience more like a hobby. Suddenly surprisingly
became an asset to the military. I used to use drones
during my adventures adventures as a tour guide leading
trips to Guatemala where he became a skilled drone
pilot, the same type of drones. He used to capture that
country's natural beauty. He now trains others to fly
to capture Russian positions. What you're teaching here.
Did you know all of this information before the war
started or has this been learned through the course of
the war. I didn't know nothing, but every week we are
getting the new information information that shapes the
core curriculum. Every soldier has three main rules,
three main rules. The first one to stay alive. The
second one to finish the mission and the third one to
bring the drum back. It was because so many untrained
pilots broke that third rule, losing the drone that
schools like this one came into being And by the end of
last year nationwide they train nearly 10,000 men and
women. But even that doesn't reflect the true number of
people who are learning because many of these people
are planning to go back to their units and teach others
how to fly In parallel, Ukraine's government
crowdfunded effort that resulte in a drone fleet. That
if flown all at once, it would look like this. The
classes to train people how to fly. These drones are
being interrupted by drones. The Russian suicide drones
that are destroying much of Ukraine's electrical
infrastructure. That means a critical part of the
curriculum. Simulator. Training is some weeks
impossible on a day when they did have power, I got a
crack at it and speaking as a drone pilot myself was
impressed by how realistic the controls felt to become
a good pilot. Similar to airplanes, flight hours,
simulated and actual matter. A student who asked us to
call him, arrived here with dozens of frontline flight
hours soldiers running away. Do they know the drone is
there He says he recorded this video while provi
air intelligence to his artillery unit in Eastern
Ukraine artillery. Argh gods, h says, we pass all the
information we see, firstly to protect our military and
secondly to destroy the enemy. You've already been
flying drones. Why are you here in order to improve my
skills He says information is the key to success. The
school is beginning to offer more advanced classes on
how to fly drones like this one shown dropping
explosives on Russian troops near bahsmahmoud, hotly
contested eastern city. But first pilots must master
the consumer drones which cost less than $1000 each.
This drone can fly pretty far, but not that far. Yeah,
seems pretty dangerous to be doing this job. Our enemy
knows how to find us because we are using electronic
tools, they can find the controller, they can find our
coordinates, our location and and they can target all
the altar very He has. He will put on our on our
journey operators. Do these folks over here behind you
Do they know how dangerous this is Yes. They know. They
know they'll soon be tested. Jason bellini scripts,
news Kiev Ukraine