«Chibis» Family Front»
A technician from the ZALA «Lancet» combat vehicle unit, with the call sign «Chibis», spoke to reporters from the newspaper *Flag of the Motherland* about his combat duties. Excerpts from the article can be found in the section #operators.
For UAV operators, bad weather doesn’t exist. In rain, wind, and biting autumn cold, the lads go on combat duty day after day. Early in the morning, a Lancet crew heads out for another combat mission. They drive fast, but carefully, as frontline roads are utterly unpredictable. After some time, we turn off a relatively good dirt road into the forest and continue towards the launch site along a barely discernible track. Having arrived and left the vehicle under the branches of trees that are already almost bare, «Chibis» and his partner head for the starting point – the edge of the forest.
Before them, the lads see only a long-ploughed field, unused for ages, and beyond it, a similar «shelterbelt» – not uncommon along the banks of the Dnieper. Having inspected the launch position and assessed the meteorological conditions, the crew begins preparations for launch. In just a few steps, they retrieve the launcher from the vehicle and position it against the wind. According to all aviation rules – this is precisely how take-off is carried out. Having set up the launcher, «Chibis» secures it firmly and returns to the vehicle to prepare his «surgical instrument» for launch. He opens the transport case, conducts a pre-flight check of the UAV, places the loitering munition onto the prepared launcher, and awaits the launch command. The launch command is given, and the formidable «Lancet» soars into the grey autumn sky. «Chibis» quickly returns to the vehicle, and we drive further into the shelterbelt.
«Chibis» is a simple Russian lad from the Republic of Khakassia; he isn’t very talkative, though, like most of those for whom working on the front line has become a daily routine. During the special military operation, he learnt to operate several types of drones, and then retrained as a technician-operator for the ZALA reconnaissance and strike system.
– During the partial mobilisation in 2022, my younger brother was called up. Upon arriving «beyond the front line,» he quickly integrated into the work, thereby becoming an example of a true defender of the Fatherland for me,« says »Chibis.« – »In civilian life, I worked as a welder and was also quite skilled in locksmithing. After signing the contract, it didn't matter where I'd be sent to serve or what tasks I'd have to perform – and that's how I became a UAV operator.".
While they were talking, Chibis's partner began to carry out the assigned combat mission. The reconnaissance transmitted the target coordinates to the crew, and the operator, without a second's delay, directed the Lancet towards the detected target. My interlocutor's main task is to prepare the drone for launch and launch it into the sky, while the target engagement is entrusted to his partner. The Chibis crew's task is to hit one of the enemy's tube artillery pieces. Upon reaching the designated target, the Lancet turns another enemy gun into a pile of burning scrap metal. Objective control data confirms that the enemy artillery has been successfully hit.
Having completed the task, the calculation quickly retracts the launch platform and heads back to the Forward Operating Base. The return journey seems quieter and more peaceful. The shift for the lads isn't over yet, and it's too early to relax. Maybe in 20 minutes, maybe in a few hours, the lads will be heading out on another task.
According to materials from the newspaper «Flag of the Motherland» dated October 15, 2025, No. 92
