“Shaheds” and radiation – combat duty of a mobile fire group in the Chornobyl zone
Radiation, wild animals, and “Shaheds.” At night near the ghost city of Prypiat, a mobile fire group from the 25th Brigade stands guard under a sky where threats can appear without warning. Frontliner spent a day on combat duty with the soldiers when Russia launched one of its most massive attacks on Kyiv and the surrounding region.
“Be careful here, slow down,” warns Bohdan, the chief sergeant of the anti-aircraft unmanned aerial vehicle battery, call sign “PITBULL” on the road near the ghost town of Prypiat. Nature dominates the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone — the 30-kilometer (19-mile) area sealed off after the 1986 disaster and normally closed to the public — and you never know when a wild animal might cross the road. Abandoned villages line the route, and in some areas, elevated radiation levels are still recorded. It is here that the mobile fire group of the 25th Public Order Brigade named after Prince Askold, a ninth-century ruler of Kyiv often associated with the city’s Christianization and early defense, is on combat duty.
That mission has only grown more urgent since Feb. 14, when a Russian drone struck the confinement structure over Reactor 4 at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, igniting fires but leaving radiation stable.
Mobile fire groups now guard not only the Exclusion Zone but also Kyiv’s 2.9 million residents, forming a frontline defense on the northern approaches where Shaheds often attack. Armed with heavy machine guns, they work alongside missile batteries and interceptor drones to break up raids — though some still get through, as on Sept. 7, when hundreds of Shaheds were used in a massive assault that killed four Kyiv residents, including aid worker Viktoriia Hrebeniuk and her 2-month-old son, Roman, when a drone struck their apartment.
On the ground, that defense begins much the same way each night. As darkness falls, the air raid siren begins to sound, and a few minutes later, the distant sound of a Russian Shahed strike drone can be heard.
Machine guns vs Shaheds
“We’re looking for it! It’s nearby!” shouts Danylo “Nabat” a machine gunner in the mobile fire group, and almost immediately tracers from neighboring fire groups appear in the sky.
“Above you! Azimuth 80-90, altitude one kilometer!” adds First Sergeant Bohdan “PITBULL.”
The machine gunner fires several shots, but the Russian drone flies out of the mobile fire group’s area of responsibility unscathed. However, a unit armed with MANPADS (man-portable air-defense systems) stationed nearby manages to destroy the target, and the soldiers begin to discuss their work.
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The mobile fire group is looking for a Shahed flying past their sector. The machine gunner is assisted by the second number, who illuminates the enemy target, Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, Ukraine, August 27, 2025. Danylo Dubchak / Frontliner
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A mobile fire team searches for a Shahed flying past their sector. The machine gunner is assisted by the second number, who illuminates the enemy target, Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, Ukraine, August 27, 2025. Danylo Dubchak / Frontliner
“Strange! This must be the first time in recent months that it has flown so low. The chances of shooting it down were very high, but we couldn’t find it with the thermal imager, so we had to shoot at the sound, but the guys with the MANPADS backed us up,” says Danylo, a machine gunner in the mobile fire group with the call sign “Nabat.”
An elusive enemy
Russian strike drones fly at different altitudes. The lowest ones are difficult to detect by radar, so soldiers need to react quickly and find the target on their own. Other enemy UAVs rise to an altitude of over two kilometers, where heavy machine guns cannot reach them. The fighters say that at such distances, MANPADS and aviation come into play, effectively destroying drones before they reach their target.
It’s sad when you don’t hit the target because something went wrong, and it’s even worse when you can’t do anything.
“When we get the command to get to our position and deploy, it takes us 15 minutes. We are ready and working under any conditions. It’s sad when you don’t hit the target because something went wrong, and it’s even worse when you can’t do anything because of the weather or a malfunctioning machine gun or thermal imager. Quite often now, Shaheds fly at an altitude of over 3,000 meters (9,800 feet) and begin to descend just before hitting the target. And we are armed with a Canik M2 heavy machine gun. Its effective range is up to 1,300 meters (4,265 feet),“ says Oleksiy, commander of the mobile fire group, call sign ”Bond.”
Weather conditions also create problems for mobile fire groups, as fog or heavy cloud cover can make it difficult to quickly detect targets. Regardless, as soon as the first readiness command sounds, the fighters begin combat operations. Around 2:00 a.m., the fighters hear the sound of a Russian drone again. This time, a Geran-2 strike UAV flew into the airspace of the exclusion zone.
When asked how the fighters determined which drone it was, they reply: “With experience, you start to tell the difference. It flies very high, at a distance of about 4,000 meters (13,123 feet). They usually launch in groups, and of course, there are also decoys. But they are all dangerous; almost every drone carries a certain amount of explosives, and we cannot ignore an air target because it will do less damage. But from the sound, it seems to have been hit, so we will soon hear it fall somewhere,“ says Daniil ”Nabat” a machine gunner with the mobile fire group.
Life at the position
Every member of the crew has a mad desire to destroy the target, we’ll sit here as long as necessary.
After working on enemy targets, the commander of the mobile fire group begins to write a report on combat operations, while trying not to take his eyes off his tablet. New information can come in at any moment.
“When you’re in combat, it’s adrenaline, every member of the crew has a mad desire to destroy the target, and now we’re going into standby mode, and while the air raid siren is sounding, we’ll sit here as long as necessary,” says senior serviceman Vladyslav, call sign “Prapor” (Flag).
The soldiers light the stove, pour coffee, and open cans of food. Finally, there is time to rest. But, as the soldiers say, there are no quiet evenings in the exclusion zone. A loud roar echoes from the depths of the dark forest.
“Okay, let’s get ready, we need to check it out,” says Daniil “Nabat” a machine gunner with the mobile fire group.
The men grab their weapons and leave the tent. Something rustles in the bushes nearby — a small animal. The roar in the distance turns out to be an ordinary moose
“That’s why we can’t sleep, because not only do we have to constantly watch the sky, there are also many threats on the ground. Once, wolves came very close to us, fortunately without incident. But we always keep our weapons at the ready — you never know if there will be a hare rustling in the bushes or if some sabotage group from Belarus has come in, so you have to check everything. We also have a frequent visitor – a hare that comes to our position every day, nicknamed Stepa“ says Daniil ”Nabat” a machine gunner with the mobile fire group.
Threat on the ground
On the way to their position, the crew sometimes tops 150 kph (93 mph). The road here is unforgiving — a wild animal can appear on the road at any moment. At that moment, the lives of the entire group depend on the driver’s reaction. Therefore, they are also on full alert at their position. At night, in addition to drones appearing in the sky, they also have to watch the ground: wolves, bears, and hares often visit the fighters during combat duty.
A bear came to us, running around in circles. It was fun, but also scary.
“If you’re driving down the road and you see a wrecked pickup truck, it means someone encountered something big. This is the zone! Nature reigns here,“ says Bohdan ”PITBULL” chief sergeant of the anti-aircraft unmanned aerial vehicle battery.
At the neighboring position, where fighters from the second mobile fire group are on duty, the night is no less tense.
“A bear came to us, running around in circles. It was fun, but also scary. Overall, it was an intense night. We also fired a few shots, but this time the targets quickly left our firing zone,“ says Yaroslav, commander of the second mobile fire group, call sign ”Tracer.”
The invisible enemy
Another constant threat is radiation. The fighters live and work in the exclusion zone, so when they go out to their positions or travel on the roads, the dosimeter often sounds an alarm. But this does not surprise them, as they are used to working in such a specific environment. In their permanent base, each crew is regularly checked for contamination levels.
“You see the dosimeter, it shows the norm, we are in a place where there is almost no radiation background. But if you go further, we have a video where it starts to beep loudly. But we don’t stop and continue our work, people’s lives and their safety depend on us. Sometimes you can find more radiation in Kyiv than here. In general, when I found out that I would be serving in the Chornobyl zone, it sounded interesting because we all know the history of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. But after living here, it’s not so scary,“ says Oleksiy, commander of the mobile fire group, whose call sign is ”Bond.”
From alarm to alarm
The soldiers sometimes live at their positions for several days in a row. There is no rest here in the classic sense. Every air raid alarm forces the crew to go to their positions, regardless of the time of day, weather conditions, or the height of the targets. The rest of the time, the mobile fire group stays at its permanent base. There is a gym, a few books, and that’s it. It is not possible to leave the Chornobyl zone without permission, so all daily life and entertainment are limited to the base territory. In such conditions, the fighters live and work as one team, where everyone can always replace each other.
There are no shopping malls or big stores here, and we don’t have the energy after our shifts either.
“Usually, when we return, we sleep soundly. We are one team, often in the same positions, and we all look at the tablet together, waiting to see an air target on the radar. We discuss the plan of action and pay special attention to analyzing flights if something goes wrong,“ says Danylo ”Nabat” a machine gunner in the mobile fire group.
“We want to see and hit more targets”
The mobile fire group (MVG) fighters are constantly thinking about how to make their work even more effective. Most of all, they would like to have more modern equipment, such as thermal imaging sights and night vision devices, which would allow them to spot targets at greater distances, as well as add a new crew member to the team.
It would be great if someone could develop an FPV that would help us destroy targets.
“Anti-drone drones are currently being actively developed, so it would be nice to have such a specialist on our team. I spoke with MVG fighters working in Donetsk Oblast, and they sometimes practice destroying shaheds using FPV, if speed and altitude allow. In general, it would be great if someone could develop an FPV that would help us destroy targets flying above the range at which a machine gun can operate,“ says Yaroslav ”Tracer” commander of the 2nd mobile fire group.
The desire to be useful despite injuries
Mobile fire groups consisting of fighters from the 25th Public Order Brigade began working in Chornobyl more than two years ago. Usually, these are fighters who have been wounded and can no longer serve on the front lines, or those who are limited by their health for other reasons.
“I was offered the position of chief sergeant after I was discharged from the hospital. Before that, I was in Donetsk Oblast. I was wounded in the Bakhmut direction. When the group was being formed, for example, the machine gunner, Nabat, couldn’t sleep; he had constant anxiety and headaches after numerous concussions. But here he found himself, he continues to serve and feels useful, and there are many such guys here,“ says Chief Sergeant of the anti-aircraft unmanned aerial vehicle battery Bohdan ”PITBULL.”
On the night of August 28, Russia launched one of its most massive attacks on Kyiv and the capital region in recent times, using 629 missiles and drones, while Frontliner reporters were present. In the sector where the mobile fire unit was operating, only three Shahed drones were detected, two of which were destroyed. When asked how many air targets have been shot down this year, Bohdan, the chief sergeant of the anti-aircraft unmanned aerial vehicle battery, smiles and then says:
“I won’t give you exact data and exact figures. Our enemies like to cause trouble. And I worry about my guys and want them to return home safe and sound. During the warm season, the Russians usually attack from other directions, but closer to winter, we can expect an increase in the number of targets. Mobile fire groups remain on standby, tracking air targets and ready to respond under any conditions.“
Despite the constant risks from “Shaheds” in the sky, radiation underfoot, and wild animals around them, mobile fire teams remain at their posts in the Chornobyl zone. And although their work is almost invisible to most, it is precisely this that reduces the number of strikes on Kyiv and the region every day. For these men, it’s no longer just a combat mission, but a way of life and a responsibility to each other and to those they protect.
Author: Artem Derkachov
Photo: Danylo Dubchak
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