Ukrainian soldiers are being taught to fly FPV drones in rehabilitation units. This will help them prepare for integration into society – regain faith in themselves and their capabilities. The initiative is called “Fly.” The “With an Angel on My Shoulder” charitable foundation has already organized training for one group of soldiers at the “Halychyna” rehabilitation center. After a successful launch, the project will be scaled up to rehabilitation units throughout Ukraine. The charitable foundations Patients of Ukraine, Dignitas, and the Ukrainian Veterans Fund of the Ministry of Veterans will help in this.
How learning to fly FPV drones helps the military
Sergeant Yevhen Nazarenko is 32 years old. From the first days of the full-scale invasion, he mobilized to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and served in the 17th Tank Brigade in a reconnaissance company. During one of the combat missions, Yevhen led the mortar launchers to positions near the Russians and helped them adjust their shooting. On the third shot, the mortar exploded. Yevhen was wounded in the arm. It was amputated on the same day.
Until recently, Yevhen was recovering at the Halychyna rehabilitation center, where he and other soldiers learned to fly FPV drones. According to the instructor, Yevhen was one of the best and most diligent students.
“I want to prove to myself and others that life does not end after the loss of a limb, that people like me should not give up. We can be useful.” —this is how Yevhen explained his motivation during his studies.
At the rehabilitation center, 39-year-old Borys Shlapak taught Yevhen and other soldiers how to fly FPV drones. He is also a military man. Borys was wounded near Sviatohirsk in Donetsk Oblast. The Russians fired 80 missiles from two Grad systems at its position. Borys’ entire body was cut by shrapnel below the waist. He has already undergone nine surgeries, and the tenth is on the way – his right leg is missing 10 cm of bone.
Borys says that he joined the training of the military at the request of Khrystyna Khlopytska and Ulyana Hredil, volunteers of the Lviv-based charity foundation “With an Angel on Your Shoulder”. Together with another volunteer of the foundation, Maksym Drobot, they bought a starter kit for training – two FPV drones, laptops and masks. Later, Borys gradually involved the soldiers from the center in the training, because he wants to help them return to normal life as much as possible.
“I want to do everything in my power to help the guys return to civilian life and find a job. I know what it’s like, because I’ve been there and I know how difficult it is to return to society. And I constantly explain to the guys: it is not a fact that you will be taken back to the front. But it will definitely help you prepare your surviving limb for life outside the rehabilitation center.” – says Boris.
In addition, according to Borys, active work with other soldiers helps him forget about his pain.
“I was bedridden for eight months because I couldn’t move. I had moments when I gave up and didn’t want to do anything. The support of my wife and child and my comrades helped me to survive these times. At first, I volunteered. Later, I organized a kind of labor circle at a rehabilitation center, where the guys and I soldered drone batteries for the front. Later he started teaching the boys to fly, – Borys says. — When I am busy doing something and helping other soldiers, it gives me strength and allows me to distract from my own pain.”
Borys hopes to return to the Armed Forces as a drone instructor.
How can we train more soldiers in rehabilitation centers to fly drones?
Successful start of military training at the rehabilitation center “Galicia gave impetus to the creation of the all-Ukrainian project “Fly”, within which the militaryrehabilitation units will be taught to fly FPV drones.
ДThe initiative has already been joined by the Patients of Ukraine Charitable Foundation, Dignitas, and the Ukrainian Veterans’ Fund of the Ministry of Veterans.They, together with “With an Angel on My Shoulder” set up the process of organizing training in rehabilitation units, help raise additional funding for the project, and develop strategies to support participants on their path to employment.
The soldiers who will be trained at the rehabilitation center will be able to use the skills they have learned in their everyday lives. In particular, they will have the opportunity to work as agrocopter operators on farms, instructors in rehabilitation centers, healthcare and educational institutions, instructors at military schools and UAV operator training centers. The Letai project also plans to strengthen the area of engineering training – soldering and assembling batteries for drones.
After the training, the Ukrainian Veterans’ Fund of the Ministry of Veterans will provide support in the process of their employment.
Natalia Kalmykova, Executive Director of the Ukrainian Veterans’ Fund, emphasizes that 77.5% of female and male veterans believe that the biggest problem after demobilization — lack of work. This is evidenced by the results of the survey “Veteran’s Needs” conducted by the UVF in February 2013.
“We are convinced that information support for defenders, networking with veteran entrepreneurs, and participation in financial support programs for veteran businesses on a general competitive basis will help the participants of the Letai project find their place in the labor market. And we will help them with this.” — says Natalia Kalmykova.
All concerned citizens can also join the project and help equip as many classrooms as possible for the military. You can support the initiative by following this link link or by these details:
CO CF DIGNITAS
EDRPOU: 44943914
JSC CB PrivatBank
Account IBAN: UA533052990000026007036240443
