How being a gamer helps this Ukrainian drone pilot

STORY: In an undisclosed part of the Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine sits drone pilot, Mykhailo.

He's testing self-made "first-person view" drones not far from the frontline, where the Ukrainian army pushes on with its counteroffensive against Russian troops.

The drone's propellers hum as the small, black object zips around in the air.

It might look effortless, but 25-year-old Mykhailo says controlling them is no easy feat.

Although it's tough to fly the drones well and subsequently hit a target, he says his experience with gaming gives him an advantage.

"Since I have been transferred to this unit to work with drones, every time I put on my goggles and take the joystick, I recall my mother telling me that those video games would not do me any good. Well, if this isn't useful, then what is?"

But the drones aren't part of an imaginary video game. They instead play a central role in the very real Russia-Ukraine war, deployed by both sides.

Mykhailo says the performance of these FPV drones differs from others.

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 the FPVs are designed to crash straight into a target, steered by a pilot wired into a virtual reality headset.

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.

Mykhailo says there's a constant game of cat and mouse with enemy troops, who try to interfere with remote signals using electronic warfare systems.

"We received a new batch of drones yesterday, and today we are going to test them. We will see how they work at a distance, whether the connection is lost or not and so on. Because we must check every drone we get. It might have some defective part or certain things might not work."

Troops at the spearhead of Ukraine's counteroffensive said a battle last week along the front in the southeast proved to be tougher and bloodier than expected.

Combat footage shared by the Ukrainian army's press service showed explosions in Russian dugouts said to be caused by Ukrainian FPV drones.

Reuters was not able to verify the date or the location the army drone footage was filmed.

Both Ukrainian and Russian forces have used a wide array of drones during the war, for reconnaissance and assault purposes.