“The story of the FPV pilot Pavel, his crew and the operation that ended with the destruction of the Russian T-72”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
The cloud is the only sign that there may be something more than another dugout deep in the forest strip. Thus begins the operation, which in a few hours will turn into one of the most accurate strikes by a heavy FPV drone on this part of the front.
The Ukrainian crew – three soldiers of the Combined Rifle Brigade of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who are assigned to the UAV unit of the 35th Marine Corps Brigade – receive the command to lift their drone. The distance to the intended target — 18.6 km. The technique is a heavy FPV on fiber optics, almost a meter wide, equipped with a cumulative ammunition from an RPG.
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This is one of those drones that fly slowly, low and vulnerable to gusts of wind. But they have one advantage — accuracy.
The crew is headed by a senior sergeant of the Air Force, 42-year-old Pavlo, call sign “Paste”.
Five attempts. One tank The first flight was fruitless. The second one too. On the third, the operator sees that something much more massive than a howitzer is hiding under a hand-applied branch.
The fourth attempt confirms the guess: it is T-72well camouflaged and probably stationary. The engine is idle or timed for a stationary fire point.
The fifth attempt is decisive.Pavel’s drone enters the area where it is most dangerous to enter: feedthe motor-transmission part of the tank. It is there that the cumulative charge is capable of causing maximum damage.
“We flew up and saw that the branch was lying flat, so the enemy was well camouflaged– recalls Pavlo. — At first, they thought of a self-propelled howitzer, then a towed howitzer. When they realized that it was a tank, they passed a few more laps. The fifth step — and we entered from behind“.
Explosion! The video from the drone shows black smoke rising up, cutting through the green strip of the forest strip. In a few minutes, the duty officer confirms: the target is destroyed. Tank on your battle account!
Later, Pavlo will watch the video and recognize the work of his crew – a model T-72.
“It was a fat goal“– he says briefly, as military men usually say, who are used to counting equipment not in the form of metal, but in the form of saved lives of fellow soldiers.
A man who spent half his life in uniform Paul’s story did not begin with drones.It began long before that, in the yard, where he was nicknamed Pate. Then there was military service, contract, ATO, OOS. He worked his way up from a soldier to a senior sergeant in the Air Force, and worked as a tablet operator: he plotted the aerial situation, tracked enemy aircraft, and transmitted data for the anti-aircraft defense system.
On February 24, 2022, I met him at training in Dubno. In a month – already in Kramatorsk, under rocket attacks, where the enemy purposefully hunted for our radars.
From there – to the Combined Rifle Brigade of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine – for UAV pilot courses. Then – to the FPV strike units.
After that – to “Yokai”. To wear their chevrons is honorable and not so easy to get, says Pastet.
The “Yokai” have a rule: the branded embroidered chevron is awarded only to the pilot who has a confirmed liquidated target – a two-hundredth katsap.
A crew where every step could be the last Pavel’s crew consists of three people: pilot,navigator and engineerwhich equips ammunition.
It is the sapper, says Pavlo, who works in the area of greatest risk: “Soviet detonators, old. And that’s why every piece of equipment is a must-have for a sapper“.
Their drone is heavy, slow, but crucial for targets like a cloaked tank that can’t be hit any other way.
From blows to water delivery Despite the impressive operations, Pavlo admits: he was most nervous not when he was taking the drone to his family.
“When you knock down an occupier, it’s commonplace and you do it with composure— he says — And when you carry water, food or a radio into the dugout, you are responsible for your own. You can’t go wrong there. You are their last hope“.
One of these flights is two plastic bottles to my brothers, the cost of which was 20,000 hryvnias.
Exit from Novopavlivskyi When the situation on the route escalated, the crew had to leave on foot. 10 kilometers under the double threat of enemy FPV drones and artillery.
“People are getting tired. There are fewer people. And everyone needs to be taught“, – says Pavlo calmly, without pathos, but with that restrained firmness that is often found in soldiers who have seen the front line too close.
Ahead is a new study and a new job Today Pavlo aspires to master another line of work – to become an operator of “Stork” deep intelligence.
His way is the way of a man who does not shout about heroism. He just does his job: accurately, measuredly, day after day.
“Victory is when my son knows no worries” When asked what victory means to him, Pavlo answers briefly and in a very military manner:
“Victory is peace. When my son will not know what anxiety is. We fight because we love those who are behind us.”
There is no joy in his voice. Just the simple confidence of a man who saw a tank on fire, camouflaged in the depth of the landing. And he knows that sometimes one accurate blow can change the situation on the entire front.
Hope Balagurak – the head of the communications group of the Combined Rifle Brigade of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
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