Robert Brovdi, Ukraine drone commander: Striking inside Russia

“When we only had reconnaissance drones, we learned fast. We began attaching warheads to the drones. Grenades, then homemade munitions that we produced ourselves. We would locate the enemy with the drone and drop them on him. Then FPV drones entered our lives. An FPV drone is a one-way, disposable drone. That was when the way of war began to change”

In a rare interview, Sarah Rainsford speaks to Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s drone forces, about the rapid evolution of drone warfare and how it is reshaping Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Drones are now being used to strike oil facilities and military targets deep inside Russian territory but initially were used just to spot Russian forces.

Commander Brovdi was among the first to see their true potential and, as technology advanced, drones began to change everything on the battlefield.

The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC, including episodes with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky, and Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the UN. You can listen on the BBC World Service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.

Presenter: Sarah Rainsford

Producers: Osman Iqbal

Editor: Farhana Haider

Get in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.

(Image: Robert Brovdi Credit: Oleksii Samsonov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)