Ukrainians Teach Estonians to Operate Combat Drones
At military exercises in Estonia, Ukrainian instructors are sharing their experience in the combat use of drones.
The Gaze reports on this with reference to the Estonian Defence Forces.
"As part of the Siil 2025 exercise, a special task force called Kullisilm is also operating at the Defence Forces' training ground, with the task of practising the introduction of modern and future-oriented methods of warfare using unmanned systems. The unit's instructors are Ukrainian soldiers and experts who have experience of using drones in the most direct form - on the front line," the Estonian defence ministry said in a statement.
Siil 2025 is the largest exercise of the Estonian Defence Forces this year, which will focus on planning and conducting military operations and strengthening cooperation between units of Estonia and allied countries. More than 16,000 soldiers will take part in the exercise.
Allied and partner countries participating in the exercise include the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Latvia, the United States and Canada, as well as observers and instructors from Japan, Israel and Ukraine.
At Siil 2025, Ukrainian instructors are sharing their combat experience with their Estonian counterparts in working with various types of high-tech military equipment: kamikaze drones, reconnaissance UAVs and repeater drones, which are signal extenders that help to increase the range of communication.
"We have engaged Ukrainians for these exercises so that they can teach us not only how to use drones, but also how to fight against them. We need to teach our men the combat experience of Ukraine," said Lieutenant Colonel Arbo Probala, head of the Estonian Defence Forces' unmanned aerial vehicle department.
Ukrainian instructors are sharing not only knowledge but also practical experience with their Estonian colleagues.
‘We are here to show our equipment and teach our NATO allies how to fight a war with drones,’ says a former Azov fighter and Ukrainian drone expert with the call sign Ranger.
As The Gaze reported earlier, Estonia is ready to send a company of soldiers to the peacekeeping force in Ukraine as part of the Western ‘coalition of the willing,’ Prime Minister Kristen Michal said.