STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Drones that Ukraine uses to defend itself against Russia and to attack Russia are, by definition, unmanned, but people are behind them. NPR's Joanna Kakissis reports on an elite Ukrainian unit launching those drones.
(SOUNDBITE OF ENGINE RUMBLING)
JOANNA KAKISSIS, BYLINE: We're driving on a dirt road deep into a vast field that's somewhere in eastern Ukraine.
(SOUNDBITE OF CAR DOOR SLAMMING)
KAKISSIS: All right.
We stop in the middle of that road and see soldiers in body armor.
(SOUNDBITE OF FOOTSTEPS CRUNCHING)
KAKISSIS: They are carrying something that looks like a jet that's about the size of a small car.
UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER: This is our beautiful drone.
KAKISSIS: Beautiful drone?
UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER: Yeah.
KAKISSIS: We've just arrived here with the long-range strike team. We are dressed like we should be on the front line. And the sun is setting, and we're just waiting.
The team is part of Ukraine's unmanned systems forces. The unit's commander uses the military call sign, Charlie. NPR is identifying the soldiers in this report by call sign at the request of Ukraine's military, which cites security reasons.
CHARLIE: (Speaking Ukrainian).
KAKISSIS: Commander Charlie started running this unit three years ago, when Ukrainian drone technology was in its early stages.
CHARLIE: (Speaking Ukrainian).
KAKISSIS: "Now," he says, "these drone systems are very effective. Our defense forces do lack cruise and ballistic missiles, but our drones have really influenced the course of combat operations and they have hit our enemy hard."
(SOUNDBITE OF CRICKETS CHIRPING)
KAKISSIS: Ukraine's long-range drones can travel 800 miles and have repeatedly targeted the lifeblood of Russia's economy - oil. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukraine knocked out nearly 40% of Russia's primary oil-refining capacity in May. The Kremlin, however, has dismissed claims that these drone strikes have hurt Russia's economy.
(SOUNDBITE OF HAMMER BANGING)
KAKISSIS: In the farm field, soldiers are hammering in temporary launch pads for the drones. A soldier with a laptop checks the flight plan and other logistics.
It's getting darker and darker. There are several drones in a row here. One, two, three. I count at least three.
Another soldier - he uses the call sign Push - tells me he's launching drones every night.
PUSH: Every day, we can see our work, the result of this work, and its really motivate us every day. The best work in the world, you know?
KAKISSIS: Why?
PUSH: (Laughter) 'Cause, you know, we are doing a lot of damage for our enemies and it's everything we need right now.
(SOUNDBITE OF FOOTSTEPS CRUNCHING)
KAKISSIS: Further down the dirt road, soldiers are placing drones on launchers. Commander Charlie says this used to take half a day.
CHARLIE: (Speaking Ukrainian).
KAKISSIS: "Now everything happens so much faster," he says. "I compare it to a pit stop in a Formula One race."
(SOUNDBITE OF MOTORCYCLE ENGINE CHUGGING)
KAKISSIS: It's now totally dark out. A team wearing headlamps and infrared goggles starts up a motorcycle engine connected to the launcher by a cable. A soldier whose call sign is Uki explains the setup.
UKI: (Speaking Ukrainian).
KAKISSIS: "We need to create a high takeoff speed for the drone to fly," he says, "and this is how we do that."
(SOUNDBITE OF MOTORCYCLE ENGINE REVVING)
KAKISSIS: The soldiers rev up the engine...
(SOUNDBITE OF WHOOSHING)
KAKISSIS: ...And then comes a flash of fire. The drone flies up into the night sky.
(SOUNDBITE OF WHOOSHING)
KAKISSIS: There goes No. 3.
One after another, more drones are launched.
(SOUNDBITE OF WHOOSHING)
KAKISSIS: No. 5.
Zelenskyy has often called these long-range drone strikes Ukrainian sanctions.
UKI: (Speaking Ukrainian).
KAKISSIS: Uki says, "so you have now seen our sanctions in motion. Let's hope they will finally force the Kremlin into a peace that is fair to Ukraine."
(SOUNDBITE OF MOTORCYCLE ENGINE CHUGGING)
KAKISSIS: The Ukrainian military won't say where these drones are going, only that the targets are hundreds of miles away in Russia or Russian-occupied Ukraine. Russia intercepts most of these drones, but some do get through. Commander Charlie confirms his team worked on drone strikes that hit an oil refinery outside Moscow last month. A strike, Charlie says, felt like justice.
CHARLIE: (Speaking Ukrainian).
KAKISSIS: "Because," he says, "the residents of Russia's capital experienced firsthand what happens in our cities every day."
(SOUNDBITE OF CRICKETS CHIRPING)
KAKISSIS: The drone launches take about two hours, and the soldiers depart right after they're finished. The team leaves no trace of their work in this farm field, only the scent of burnt fuel, which lingers in the warm night.
Joanna Kakissis, NPR News, reporting from eastern Ukraine. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
