STORY: Ukraine's most skilled military drone pilots squared off this week not against Russia, but against each other in a competition to win state-of-the-art hardware and bragging rights.

Drone technology has transformed the war in Ukraine. Young men using video game consoles to operate strike drones packed with explosives - sometimes from command centres far behind the front line - are deeply feared by enemy soldiers.

This week's "Wild Drones" competition - held in fields outside the spa town of Truskavets - gathered pilots from 19 of Ukraine's best units and manufacturers of drones used on the front line.

"This is an opportunity for them to communicate with each other a little, to learn something or share something with someone, and to see from manufacturers what new products are available," said "Grey", the sergeant major of the Black Raven drone battalion of the 93rd Mechanized Brigade, an organizer of the event. He asked to be identified by his military call sign.

The event, founded two years ago, offered a break from the front line, where some participants have been deployed since Russia's invasion in 2022. There was a relaxed atmosphere, with a barbecue and networking party; some participants brought their wives and families.

Several officers said their units were in regular contact with drone manufacturers to request improvements.

"It's a constant, ongoing process," said "Dym", the call sign of the commander of the about 400-strong Black Raven unit. "If we have one version of a drone today, in three months it could be a completely different drone."

The growing flight range of drones is constantly expanding the "Kill Zone" - currently around 15 km (nine miles) either side of the front line - where soldiers and vehicles can quickly be attacked by drones.

Winners in each category at the event received three Vampire drones, plus batteries and systems.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: LVIV REGION, UKRAINE (MAY 19, 2026) (REUTERS – Access all)

1. REFEREE ANNOUNCING (Ukrainian) ‘Start in 3, 2, 1’

2. VARIOUS OF FPV-DRONES FLYING

LVIV REGION, UKRAINE (MAY 19, 2026) (OBTAINED BY REUTERS – Access all)

3. (MUTE) VIEW FROM AIRBORNE FPV-DRONE

LVIV REGION, UKRAINE (MAY 19, 2026) (REUTERS – Access all)

4. VIEWS FROM FPV-DRONES ON DISPLAY

5. VARIOUS OF PILOT CONTROLLING DRONE

6. DRONE FLYING

LVIV REGION, UKRAINE (MAY 19, 2026) (OBTAINED BY REUTERS – Access all)

7. (MUTE) VIEW FROM AIRBORNE FPV-DRONE

LVIV REGION, UKRAINE (MAY 19, 2026) (REUTERS – Access all)

8. PILOT CONTROLLING DRONE

9. DRONE HITTING BALLOON IN SKY

10. (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) SERGEANT MAJOR OF THE BLACK RAVEN DRONE BATTALION, CALL-SIGN 'GREY' (NO REAL NAME GIVEN), SAYING:

"All the brigades represented here have come directly from the front lines, where they were engaged in combat with the enemy. This is an opportunity for them to communicate with each other a little, to learn something or share something with someone, and to see from manufacturers what new products are available.”

11. VARIOUS OF VIEWS FROM FPV-DRONES ON DISPLAY

12. PEOPLE WATCHING SCREENS

13. MAN BLOWING UP BALLOON TO BE USED AS A TARGET

14. PILOT SETTING UP DRONE

15. MAN HOLDING BALLOON

16. PILOT CONTROLLING DRONE

17. FPV-DRONE FLYING

18. REFEREE ANNOUNCING (Ukrainian) ‘Start in 3, 2, 1’

19. DRONE FLYING BY BALLOON

20. PILOT CONTROLLING DRONE

21. DRONE HITTING BALLOON IN SKY

22. PILOTS IN TENT

23. (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) UNMANNED SYSTEMS UNIT COMMANDER, DMYTRO KORESHUN, SAYING:

“With FPV drones, strike drones, and reconnaissance drones, we effectively destroy the enemy on the approach, which is why we save the lives of our servicemen, which is why we now have a significant advantage on the front lines, and we really destroy a lot every day.”

24. PEOPLE WATCHING DRONE FLYING

25. VARIOUS OF DRONE FLYING

26. (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) UNMANNED SYSTEMS UNIT COMMANDER, CALL-SIGN ‘DYM’ (NO REAL NAME GIVEN), SAYING:

“The manufacturer produces and assembles everything; we provide them with the specifications for the drones we need, the required control frequencies, the payload capacity, and the operational range, and the manufacturer then improves and upgrades the performance of all the drones. It’s a constant, ongoing process; if we have one version of a drone today, in three months it could be a completely different drone.”

27. DRONE ON DISPLAY

28. DRONE CRASHING