12-year old boy from Chernihiv single-handedly disarms Russian FPV drone
Soldiers taught the boy to cut fiber optic wires to disarm drones (Photo: Suspilne Chernihiv)
12-year old Anatolii Prokhorenko from Semenivka, Chernihiv Oblast, single-handedly disarmed a Russian drone to save his sisters’ and brothers’ lives, Suspilne Chernihiv wrote on April 28.
The boy was outside when he spotted a Russian first person view (FPV) drone flying towards his younger brothers and sisters. He cut the drone’s fiber optic wire, disarming it.
“It was just flying, then I saw it turning. As soon as it landed, it started flying up,” the boy recalled.
“I said: ‘15 seconds and I’ll cut [the fiber optic wire]. My nephew ran out and shouted: ‘Cut it!’”
“I cut [the wire] and saw [the drone] flying up because it was losing signal and starting to crash,” Anatolii continued.
“We were ready for the drone to blow, but instead it landed in the bushes 100-150 meters away.”
The boy said soldiers had taught him to cut fiber optic wires.
“We were in the woods, chopping down trees [for the soldiers]. We were friends,” the boy went on.
“We kept chopping down trees, until we saw one with a fiber optic cable caught in it. [The soldier] showed it to me and told me: ‘cut it as a last resort’.”
“My instincts took over because three of my siblings and three other children were nearby,” the 12-year old said about the harrowing event.
It was his first time cutting fiber optic cables. He said he was scared, but he knew he had to save his family. The boy confessed that he is still afraid of Shahed drones.
“But it wasn’t scary when I lived in Semenivka and they were flying over our heads,” he added.
The boy was lucky there wasn’t a second drone nearby, said Mykyta Havrylenko, Operations Director at the UAV Training Center.
“FPV drones don’t usually fly alone. They’re guided from above by a second drone,” he said.
“Ordinarily, a Mavic hovers 300 meters above to spot and track targets. If that drone hovering above had spotted the boy cutting the fiber optic wire, the pilot could take the child for a legitimate target because he’s interfering.”
The boy’s father, Volodymyr Poltoratsky, said he didn’t realize what happened right away. He said Anatolii is the eldest child in the family. The couple are raising five children. Volodymyr moved with his wife and kids to Chernihiv because it had become too dangerous. He said his son is the family’s rock, and he and his wife rely on him. The boy said he helps his father with his work at the garage.
“I help my father with the tractor and the car,” the boy shared.
“We had trouble with the tractor’s chassis, so we took it apart and I learned how to do it by heart. Then I worked on the car.”
After saving his brothers and sisters, Anatolii dreams to become a drone pilot.
“I wonder what’s inside those drones? What are they made of? And how do I disarm them?” the boy added.
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