🇺🇦 «Ukraine's best drone commander.» That's what his commander called Capt. Yehor Sobolev when I met them both in Lviv in 2024.
This week he shared his deep insights into Ukraine's drone war against Russia with me. A game-changer in modern warfare.

☠️He doesn't keep track of how many Russian soldiers he has killed. "It's like cutting grass. You don't count the blades you cut. What matters is that the job gets done." 9/11

🚁 Today, Taras is a drone pilot in Sumy, using his knowledge of the land to spot Russian positions. "I'm a farmer and used to being outside. That's why I easily spot unnatural things," he explains.
In this case, unnatural things are Russian soldiers on Ukrainian soil. 8/11

🚜 Before Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, Taras was a farmer in Western Ukraine. When the invasion came, he didn't hesitate: He slaughtered his animals, canned the meat, and sent it to the front lines. 2/11

🧵 In January, I had the opportunity of spending two days with a drone unit in the Sumy region in Ukraine. There, I met several Ukrainian soldiers, and now I want to tell you the story of Taras, a man in his late 40's. 1/11

Kamyshin also emphasized the importance of having the right people in the right place, praising Nammo CEO Morten Brandtzæg and Kongsberg Gruppen CEO Eirik Lie. 11/12

🧵I had the privilege to sit down with 🇺🇦 Minister for Strategic Industries, Herman Smetanin and presidential advisor, Alexander Kamyshin, in Oslo. We discussed Ukraine's growing arms industry.🚀 1/12

🧵: – De gjør det hele tiden. Det er en effektiv taktikk for russerne, men fryktelig for oss, sa Vasyl til kollega Thomas Bløndal og meg da vi besøkte enheten hans i Sumy.
Ukraina sier de har registrert tusenvis av tilfeller hvor Russland har brukt tåregass mot ukrainske styrker.

– Vanlige russere har et ansvar for det som skjer. Det er ikke Vladimir Putin som skyter, plyndrer og voldtar ukrainere. Dette gjøres av russiske soldater, sa Vasyl til meg og kollega Thomas Bløndal da vi traff ham i Sumy fylke, et par mil fra grensa til Russland. 🧵

Our fixer and safety officer, Taras, told us that this is a common occurrence for the residents of the Sumy region. These drones often arrive there first before heading to other targets across Ukraine.

A chilling reminder of the reality in Ukraine: This Shahed drone, shot down in the Sumy region on the night of January 10th, had a simple message on its tail boom: «Do not touch».

The production of these shells marks a crucial milestone for Ukraine's defense industry, which has been rapidly expanding since the full scale invasion began. Kamyshin says Ukraine's defense production will triple by the end of the year.

Old, but gold: In September Ukraine’s former minister of strategic industries, Alexander Kamyshin, officially announced to me that they have started producing their own 155mm artillery shells. This is an important step towards self-sufficiency for Ukraine.