Latest news with #Grabovyy
Time of India
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Ukraine finally finds a way to push back Russia and reclaim its land. This is how foreign gamers are playing a crucial role in the objective
Ukraine is training foreign gamers to become drone pilots in its fight against Russia. Using skills gained through video games, recruits from the US, UK, and other countries are helping Ukraine target enemy positions. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Video Game Skills Applied to Warfare Volunteers Arrive from Several Countries Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Support from the UK and Beyond Training and Evaluation Process FAQs Ukraine is turning to foreign volunteers with video gaming backgrounds to operate drones in its ongoing war against Russia. Many of these recruits have no military experience but bring skills from gaming that make them suitable for controlling drones, a report Grabovyy, a course coordinator for Ukraine's 25th Airborne Brigade , told The Independent about how experience with gaming controllers helps new drone pilots . He said the precision required in video games matches the control needed to fly FPV (first-person view) drones. According to him, some of the best pilots started as regular volunteers come from countries like the US, UK, Canada, Australia and France. These individuals joined the brigade since the start of the war in 2022. More have arrived in recent months as Western military support for Ukraine declined. The brigade started a three-week course to train these volunteers in drone volunteer, a 20-year-old American named Sam, used to compete in drone-racing events across the US. He joined the Ukrainian effort to apply his skills on the battlefield. Sam told the media outlet that he plans to remain in Ukraine until the war ends, despite concerns from his noted that many enlistees have Ukrainian roots and joined during periods when Western support appeared uncertain. They want to support Ukraine, even without combat experience. He added that the volunteers are usually young, often in their late teens or early all volunteers are American. A British recruit named Garreth left his job at the National Health Service to help. He holds an electronic engineering degree and said his background in electronics and gaming made him a good candidate for drone who complete the initial three-week course move on to basic training, which lasts six weeks. The purpose is to separate serious fighters from those not suited for found that gamers' hand-eye coordination and controller skills transfer well to drone piloting, offering a tactical advantage without traditional military complete a three-week course followed by basic training. Those who do not meet standards are removed to ensure readiness for frontline drone operations.
New York Post
13-05-2025
- New York Post
Ukraine relies on secret weapon in its drone attacks on Russia: gamers
They're playing the long game. Xbox has given the Ukrainian military a deadly advantage in its war against Russia, officials said — with ordinary geeks proving to be deft drone pilots on the frontlines. Foreigners with 'a lot of gaming experience' have become a secret weapon for Ukraine in the battle that's become increasingly reliant on drones, said Oleg Grabovyy, a New Yorker and course coordinator for enlistees at Ukraine's 25th Airborne Brigade. 'The dexterity you get with an Xbox controller is directly transferable to flying drones,' Grabovyy, of Syracuse, told The Independent. 'The best FPV pilot I ever met was a relentless gamer.' The enlistees come from America, Britain, Canada, Australia and France, many of whom flooded the 25th Airborne Brigade since the war began in 2022 and in recent months after Western support for Ukraine slowed down. The unit quickly saw the influx of young, video game-savvy volunteers as an opportunity to open a three-week selection course aimed at transforming the enlistees into the ace drone pilots plaguing Russia's invasion force. One American who identified himself as Sam, a 20-year-old from Charleston, Georgia, said he was eager to prove his skills after competing in drone-racing tournaments across the US. 'Competing, you fly through 5-foot gates at 100mph, making tight turns. It's all about precision and reflexes. I'm planning to use everything I've learned to help Ukraine,' he told The Independent. 'My mom and dad aren't thrilled, but they understand. I've decided to stay until victory or death — whichever comes first,' he added. Grabovyy described Sam as the latest batch of young Americans who came in recent months following the tumultuous period where President Trump appeared to be pulling support from Kyiv. He said like him, the enlistees had Ukrainian heritage and wanted to do whatever they could to help during the stressful period, even if they had no previous combat skills. 'You'd be surprised how many are coming – hundreds and hundreds from all over the world. We're getting a lot of young Americans, 18, 19, 20 years old,' Grabovvy said. 'They think their government has abandoned Ukraine.' And it's not just Americans who are being drawn to the frontlines, a British enlistee, who identified himself as Garreth, said he left his job at the National Health Service in Wales to become an FPV drone pilot. 'I have an electronic engineering degree and the FPV electronic thing is what drew me here,' he told the UK outlet. 'I can combine my sapper experience and electronic engineering skills; it's an interesting time in warfare, and I'm a gamer.' Those who pass the three-week selection course move onto a basic training course that lasts for twice as long, which is meant to weed out those who aren't cut out for war. 'They needed help sorting the serious from the fantasists and war tourists,' American Shawn McVey said about the course he helped put together. 'We give people the honest truth. If they're not cut out for it, they're out.'
New York Post
12-05-2025
- New York Post
Ukraine relies on secret weapon in its drone attacks on Russia
They're playing the long game. Xbox has given the Ukrainian military a deadly advantage in its war against Russia, officials said — with ordinary geeks proving to be deft drone pilots on the frontlines. Foreigners with 'a lot of gaming experience' have become a secret weapon for Ukraine in the battle that's become increasingly reliant on drones, said Oleg Grabovyy, a New Yorker and course coordinator for enlistees at Ukraine's 25th Airborne Brigade. Advertisement 'The dexterity you get with an Xbox controller is directly transferable to flying drones,' Grabovyy, of Syracuse, told The Independent. 'The best FPV pilot I ever met was a relentless gamer.' 5 Ukraine has found that gamers who've honed their skills on controllers can directly transfer those skills to piloting drones against Russia. UKRAINE'S 93RD MECHANIZED BRIGADE PRESS SERVICE HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock 5 Drones have proven to be an effective tool to take out Russia's invading forces. REUTERS The enlistees come from America, Britain, Canada, Australia and France, many of whom flooded the 25th Airborne Brigade since the war began in 2022 and in recent months after Western support for Ukraine slowed down. Advertisement The unit quickly saw the influx of young, video game-savvy volunteers as an opportunity to open a three-week selection course aimed at transforming the enlistees into the ace drone pilots plaguing Russia's invasion force. One American who identified himself as Sam, a 20-year-old from Charleston, Georgia, said he was eager to prove his skills after competing in drone-racing tournaments across the US. 'Competing, you fly through 5-foot gates at 100mph, making tight turns. It's all about precision and reflexes. I'm planning to use everything I've learned to help Ukraine,' he told The Independent. Advertisement 5 A Ukrainian serviceman prepares a drone to fly over a Russian unit. REUTERS 5 Ukraine's military has a three-week course aimed at vetting foreign enlistees for its drone piloting program. UKRAINE'S 93RD MECHANIZED BRIGADE PRESS SERVICE HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock 'My mom and dad aren't thrilled, but they understand. I've decided to stay until victory or death — whichever comes first,' he added. Grabovyy described Sam as the latest batch of young Americans who came in recent months following the tumultuous period where President Trump appeared to be pulling support from Kyiv. Advertisement He said like him, the enlistees had Ukrainian heritage and wanted to do whatever they could to help during the stressful period, even if they had no previous combat skills. 5 Ukrainian drones have reached further into Moscow, creating headaches for the Kremlin. AP 'You'd be surprised how many are coming – hundreds and hundreds from all over the world. We're getting a lot of young Americans, 18, 19, 20 years old,' Grabovvy said. 'They think their government has abandoned Ukraine.' And it's not just Americans who are being drawn to the frontlines, a British enlistee, who identified himself as Garreth, said he left his job at the National Health Service in Wales to become an FPV drone pilot. 'I have an electronic engineering degree and the FPV electronic thing is what drew me here,' he told the UK outlet. 'I can combine my sapper experience and electronic engineering skills; it's an interesting time in warfare, and I'm a gamer.' Those who pass the three-week selection course move onto a basic training course that lasts for twice as long, which is meant to weed out those who aren't cut out for war. 'They needed help sorting the serious from the fantasists and war tourists,' American Shawn McVey said about the course he helped put together. 'We give people the honest truth. If they're not cut out for it, they're out.'
