The Ukrainian military is noting an influx of foreign volunteers from the US, Canada, the UK, France and other countries who have experience playing on Xbox and other consoles, making them more skilled FPV drone pilots.
The Ukrainian military is noting an influx of foreign volunteers from the US, Canada, the UK, France and other countries who have experience playing on Xbox and other consoles, making them more skilled FPV drone pilots.
As the New York Post notes, citing The Independent, there are many such foreigners among the newcomers to the separate 25th Airborne Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
«The dexterity you gain with an Xbox controller can be directly transferred to flying drones. The best FPV pilot I ever met was a tireless gamer,» said Oleg Grabovy, coordinator of recruit courses at the 25th Separate Airborne Brigade.
The volunteers come from America, Britain, Canada, Australia and France; many joined the brigade at the start of the Russian invasion in 2022 and in recent months as Western support for Ukraine has slowed. The unit quickly saw the influx of young, video game-savvy volunteers as an opportunity to open a three-week selection course aimed at turning recruits into skilled drone pilots who strike against the Russian occupiers.
A 20-year-old American, who introduced himself as Sam from Charleston, Georgia, said he was looking to test his skills acquired in drone racing tournaments.
«When you compete, you fly through 5-foot gates at 100 miles per hour, making sharp turns. It’s all about precision and reflexes. I plan to use everything I’ve learned to help Ukraine,» he said.
«My mom and dad are not happy, but they understand. I decided to stay until victory or death, whichever comes first,» the boy added.
According to Grabovoy, Sam is among a group of young Americans who have arrived in recent months after U.S. President Donald Trump reduced support for Ukraine. The instructor noted that Sam, like the Ukrainian recruits, want to do everything they can to help during this difficult time, even if they have no previous combat skills.
«You’d be surprised how many of them come — hundreds and hundreds from all over the world. We have a lot of young Americans coming here, 18, 19, 20 years old. They think their government has abandoned Ukraine,» Grabovy said.
A British volunteer who gave his name as Garrett said he left his job with the National Health Service in Wales to become an FPV drone pilot.
«I have an electronics engineering degree, and it was the FPV electronics that attracted me here. I can combine my experience as a sapper with my skills as an electronics engineer; it’s an interesting time in the war, and I’m a gamer,» says Garrett.
Volunteers who complete the three-week selection course move on to basic training, which lasts twice as long and is intended to weed out those who are not made for war.
«They needed help to weed out the serious people from the dreamers and war tourists. We give people the hones truth. If they’re not ready for it, they walk away,» said American Sean McVeigh of the course he helped organize.
Recall that Ukrainian developers are creating Ukrainian Fight Drone Simulator, which they call the first «ultra-realistic» simulator of combat FPV drones. The project is currently in closed early access.
