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  • 3 weeks ago
A Ukrainian flying ace is leveraging his aerobatics skills to protect his countrymen from nightly attacks.

Directed by
Alex Babenko

Cinematography
Alex Babenko

Additional Cinematography
Alex Stratienko

Reported by
Ed Caesar

Executive Editor, The New Yorker
Daniel Zalewski

Executive Producer, The New Yorker
Paul Moakley

Edited by
Sam Vladimirsky

Additional Archival Footage and Music
AEROTIM, Getty Images, Reuters
Transcript
00:04When you're in the air, you are on the front line, even if you're flying above your homeland.
00:11You know, you have all kinds of dangers.
00:15But before the war I was aerobatic pilot.
00:29Now we are trying to use our skills to do the air defense.
00:49This plane was used for skydiving purposes before the war.
00:55Now it's equipped to neutralize Shahid drones and other kind of unmanned targets.
01:08Drones were invented to film things or to deliver things to remote places.
01:17But then as any other aviation dream, it was cursed and now they're hitting civilian buildings, power plants.
01:26When Iran is taking these to weapon sales, they're usually white.
01:30The Russians paint it black and they're designed to disappear into the sky to be somewhat stealthy.
01:40It's a historical moment. We still have some honeymoon, but we've already seen air-to-air missiles on Shahid drones.
01:47Man-pads.
01:49Which is pretty dangerous. There was no successful launch yet.
01:54But if you don't have enough power or enough maneuverability or enough anticipation of what's happening, then you're in a
02:02bad situation.
02:05We go into the area of the drones and then we identify it with thermal camera.
02:10Come closer, engage.
02:14So it's turning from hunting into dogfighting with drones.
02:21But this analog World War II kind of way.
02:33Most of us, we don't have to serve actually, due to the amount of kids or other reasons.
02:41Part of the team are retired people, like our commander, he's 65 turning 66 now.
02:47But it's our will to be useful in this war.
02:51Part of the team.
03:15There's so much happening during the night, in the air.
03:21There's some experimental things, like drone interceptors.
03:25There's air defense.
03:28A lot of participants.
03:35The main purpose of doing this job is to save as much lives as possible.
03:41It's kind of anti-violence thing.
03:46It's a man against the machines.
03:51Who is who is an idiot now?
03:51Sometimes, we will be assigned to the sub-provenants.
03:52And then in the air that it's Oh-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
03:56-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o.
04:12When I fly close to the target, I can't engage because there's houses or infrastructure underneath.
04:19so we keep flying keeping it in the searchlight in the spotlight and we're
04:25not even because it's like 200 kilos target and we're six stones and it's
04:30lecture hit in the black night but from my robotics I brought formation flying
04:36you have to be professional you have to be confident practice a lot anticipate
04:41a lot and trust completely each other there's no other way so these skills
04:50helps it enormously and with this aircraft we can stay in the air
04:554.5 hours it's my devotion not just to to my country but to aviation
05:06that's that's the truth
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