Ukrainian Drone Operator: See Mom, Those Videogames Were Useful after All

A man checks the debris next to a damaged office building in the Moscow City following a reported Ukrainian drone attack in Moscow, Russia, August 1, 2023. (Reuters)
A man checks the debris next to a damaged office building in the Moscow City following a reported Ukrainian drone attack in Moscow, Russia, August 1, 2023. (Reuters)
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Ukrainian Drone Operator: See Mom, Those Videogames Were Useful after All

A man checks the debris next to a damaged office building in the Moscow City following a reported Ukrainian drone attack in Moscow, Russia, August 1, 2023. (Reuters)
A man checks the debris next to a damaged office building in the Moscow City following a reported Ukrainian drone attack in Moscow, Russia, August 1, 2023. (Reuters)

The four propellers hum like a bee, the black drone zips into the air. Mykhailo, a 25-year-old Ukrainian soldier, stands under a tree surveying the whizzing landscape through his goggles, steering with fingertips on the remote.

"Every time I put on my goggles and take the joystick, I think about my mother telling me those video games won't do me any good," he says with a smile.

"Well, if this isn't useful, then what is?"

Drones have played a central role in the Russia-Ukraine war, deployed by both sides. There are big drones that can fly hundreds of miles, some that hover over the battlefield taking pictures and others that carry weapons to drop on targets.

But there may be no more characteristic weapon of this war than the tiny, inexpensive "first-person view" (FPV) drones, designed to crash straight into a target on the battlefield, steered by a pilot wired into a virtual reality headset.

It is a constant game of cat and mouse against enemy troops, who try to interfere with remote signals using electronic warfare (EW) systems, said Mykhailo, who did not give a surname and uses the military call sign "Joker".

"You cannot work from the same position many times, because the enemy reacts to it, turns on the EW, jams our drones," he explained in between test flights of a new batch of drones received by his unit in southern Ukraine's frontline Zaporizhzhia region.

"We need to constantly look for new positions, where to fly from, and for new targets."

Unlike other drones that can be sent up and monitored, the FPV drones never simply hover; they are always flying fast and looking forward. Their cameras don't even point downwards.

"The pilot must always be in full control of the drone, of its flight," Mykhailo says. "It can attack at speed, from height, in various ways - each pilot flies the drone in his own style - but it always attacks at speed."



Abu Dhabi's Cryptomining firm Phoenix Group Enters Africa with Power Purchase Deal

Abu Dhabi's Cryptomining firm Phoenix Group Enters Africa with Power Purchase Deal
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Abu Dhabi's Cryptomining firm Phoenix Group Enters Africa with Power Purchase Deal

Abu Dhabi's Cryptomining firm Phoenix Group Enters Africa with Power Purchase Deal

Abu Dhabi-listed cryptomining and blockchain conglomerate Phoenix Group has struck an 80-megawatt (MW) power purchase agreement (PPA) in Ethiopia, it said on Wednesday, as it pursues a global diversification strategy by entering the Africa market.

Under the deal, Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) will provide the energy needed to support Phoenix's bitcoin mining expansion, with supplies due to start in the second quarter.

The firm did not provide details on the location of the facility or the size of the deal, which was signed in partnership with Abu Dhabi cybersecurity firm Data7, it said in a statement, Reuters reported.

"We are aggressively building out our mining capabilities," Phoenix CEO Munaf Ali said, adding the additional capacity would fuel further growth as the company prepares for a dual-listing on Nasdaq.

The company "is actively engaged in discussions with financial institutions and NASDAQ to evaluate the most effective way forward", it said in a separate statement to Reuters, without providing a timeline for the listing.

Phoenix, which counts Abu Dhabi's largest listed firm IHC among its shareholders, operates multiple mining facilities in countries including the UAE, the US and Canada.