Denys Rizhov, 21, stumbled on the Third Assault Brigade’s drone school, Kill House, by accident—a random link to a YouTube video. A soft-spoken, reserved young man with a ponytail, bored by college, working odd jobs and uncertain what his future would bring, Rizhov was intrigued enough to follow up on the web. The more he learned, the more he liked, and he decided to start saving the $190 it would cost for a week of classes in the technology and tactical use of unmanned aerial vehicles.
He scrimped and saved for months, and when he finally took the course, he couldn’t have enjoyed it more. Now he’s planning to go back for further training—a second week of drone school and then the Third Assault Brigade’s intensive seven-day course that tests volunteers interested in joining the unit.
At a time when the lion’s share of Ukrainians is frightened of joining the armed forces or actively resisting it—hiding from recruiters and scheming to flee the country illegally—Rizhov is increasingly drawn to enlisting in an elite combat unit, attracted by evolving drone technology and what he’s seen of the Third Brigade’s bracing ethos.
