Ukrainian civilians retrained as lethal drone operators in 'Killhouse'

In 2025, Ukraine aims to build no less than 4.5 million drones to deploy on the battlefield against the Russians who invaded their country, killing civilians and soldiers. To operate all these devices, a special area has been set up in an old military complex on the outskirts of Kyiv to retrain civilians as specialised drone operators.

The training centre for new recruits is heavily secured. It opened in the autumn of 2024 and is accessible to both men and women. 'Killhouse', as it is called, offers an intensive three-week drone training course for both civilians and military personnel. There is a basic course and a pro track. Those who pass receive an official drone pilot certificate, after which it is time to put their newly-acquired skills to use on the battlefield to protect their country from the Russian aggressor. The freshly trained Ukrainian specialists will then be deployed with their FPV—or First Person View—drones equipped with an onboard camera that streams video in real time, to be used in the war against Russia. The FPV drone has become a focal point of Ukrainian warfare: cheap, agile, and deadly. In practice, a drone worth a few hundred euros or up to 2,000 to 3,000 euros can take out a Russian military vehicle worth a hundred or even a thousand times more.

World leader

"Ukraine is now the world leader in drone warfare," President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously said. And this does not seem exaggerated: Ukraine also plans to produce no fewer than 4.5 million drones in 2025. That will be more than Russia, which is reportedly aiming to produce 3 to 4 million drones in the same year.

France impresses with immense drone arena

Across Europe, drones are a major focus. The international drone coalition network for Ukraine provides an enormous boost, and France, for instance, opened the largest drone arena in Europe on 12 May. In this French drone centre, pilots will be trained and experiments conducted on precision, safety, and usability. Several other countries are working on similar initiatives.

(SR - Source: Het Nieuwsblad/CNN - Illustration: ©Unsplash)