The Swedish NGO Drones2Ukraine collects and donates civilian drones to Dronarium and also donates money that is used for the purchase of drones and drone parts.
"They have supported us from the very beginning," says Pavel Tsybenko, head of Dronarium's training program.
Prior to the full-scale invasion, Dronarium was a civilian company that filmed TV series and commercials, and trained about ten civilians a month. After February 24, 2022, they quickly adapted.
From civilian to military
"We already had a school. We thought: we just need to modify from the civilian to the military and do the best we can. We offered our help to the military," Tsybenko explains.
Before any training was in place, it was common for pilots to be told to watch YouTube videos to learn.
"Over the course of a few weeks, many of those who hadn't flown before died. For example, they didn't know how to hide. They just stood open and started flying. It's very dangerous. We quickly understood that we had to educate them.
Today, Dronarium is the country's largest drone school and trains pilots who participate in battles along the entire front.
Changed the rules of war
Drones played an important role in stopping the Russians' advance towards Kyiv. Tsybenko tells the story of a 12-year-old boy who saw a Russian column during a flight with a drone he had received as a Christmas gift. The father reported the Russians' position to the police, whereupon Ukrainian artillery was able to fire on the column. Tsybenko realized how important drones would become.
"If World War II was the war of tanks, then the war in Ukraine is the war of drones. Drones have changed the rules of the game, he says.
"It doesn't matter what kind of modern weapons you have: new tanks like Abrams or Leopards. It doesn't matter if you don't understand when to shoot. The drones give you real-time battlefield information so you know when and where to shoot.