10/25/2026
They intercept Russian “Shahed” drones while they are still over the sea, before they can reach Ukrainian cities. Their mission: to locate an enemy drone, overtake it at high speed, and destroy it in the sky. Sometimes, every second counts—and the price of a mistake is human life. In this new episode of “AnTROpia: Special Report,” Vitalii Kovach visits an interceptor unit of the Territorial Defense Forces tasked with defending Ukraine’s southern regions against Russian aerial attacks.
Oleksandr—call sign “Shumnyi”—commander of the “Beowulf” crew, explains how the military transitioned from mobile fire groups to interceptor drones, why crew cohesion matters more than an individual pilot’s skill, and how operational effectiveness evolves with the adoption of new technologies.
- 00:00 Patrolling the coastline
- 00:30 Oleksandr “Shumnyi” — unit commander
- 00:44 From mobile fire teams to interceptor drones
- 01:04 Why tactics had to change
- 01:28 How interceptor pilots are trained
- 02:05 The first successful interception
- 02:19 What a pilot feels during an attack
- 02:44 How to catch up with a target at high speed
- 03:25 Why crew coordination is paramount
- 03:47 Switching to digital video links
- 04:19 Searching the skies for enemy targets
- 05:21 A combat interception captured on camera
- 05:30 Over 20 targets — none got through
- 05:54 Competition between crews
- 06:18 Can an FPV pilot become an interceptor pilot?
- 06:51 The thrill of the aerial hunt
- 07:15 When another crew takes down the target
- 07:30 What they don’t teach at the training ground
- 07:58 How long it takes to achieve initial results
- 08:14 One pilot — multiple interceptors?
- 08:43 Advantages of aircraft-type interceptors
- 08:52 How many people make up the crew
- 09:02 “Every downed ‘Shahed’ means a life saved”
- 09:13 How combat operations become a daily routine
https://www.youtube.com/@terytorialna.oborona