By Andra Moss

Dozens gathered in the Norfolk Hub, with many more watching via Zoom, on Saturday, Sept. 24 to hear from Ian Miller and Evan Platt of the non-profit organization Zero Line on their view of the war in Ukraine and how Zero Line is supporting the Ukrainian citizens in their battle against the Russian incursion.  

Miller and Platt both have strong ties to Norfolk (see the August issue of Norfolk Now for more information). Miller appeared live at the Hub; Platt joined remotely from Kyiv, together with a Ukrainian drone battalion leader, Ivan Cheepook. 

The discussion focused primarily on how military and civilian drones are changing the conflict landscape in Ukraine. Platt, Miller and a third team director, Isaac Flanagan, founded Zero Line in the earliest days of the Russian invasion to deliver high-impact aid to Ukrainian soldiers at the front lines (the “zero line”). The group initially provided satellite phones, vehicles and first aid kits, but they have recently shifted their efforts to drones for the advanced communications and intelligence support they provide. 

“Ukraine is a young, tech-savvy democracy,” said Miller. “That’s one area where Putin has massively underestimated them.” In fact, added Platt, “Ukrainians are revolutionizing the way wars are fought with their use of drones on the front lines. Most of the best recognizance on the front lines comes via drones. They are vitally important to Ukraine winning this war.”

Some of the most compelling arguments in favor of improved coordination of the critical data drones provide came from Cheepook, a Ukrainian drone pilot now leading a special drone cell known as the ISTAR Program in the army’s Brigade 63. 

After thanking the audience and the United States for their ongoing support of the Ukrainians, he described the problem of poor communication along the front lines that too-often resulted in lost response time and inefficient use of Ukraine’s critical ammunition supplies.

The speakers discussed how the high-tech reconnaissance equipment that the U.S. is supplying is only as good as the Ukrainian military’s ability to distribute the information. Cheepook reported how ISTAR cells “collect critical data from the drones on what is happening, where, and information on enemy movements and friendly positions.” Rather than a single drone pilot running this data up and down a long telephone chain, he said, the ISTAR cell consolidates it with other data for a comprehensive analysis and communicates a decision quickly to the appropriate artillery units. 

Platt and Miller explained how Zero Line is working to help make the case to the Ukrainian army and Western special forces in Ukraine for the effectiveness of the ISTAR Program. “Brigade 63 is very effective,” said Platt, but acknowledged that more Ukrainian brigades need to learn and use the program. To help end the war faster, he said, they need to “grow this initial positive work at Brigade 63 for systemic change in intelligence sharing.”

To learn more about the work Zero Line is doing in Ukraine, visit zero-line.org. The Sept. 24 Zoom program is also available to view online at norfolkfoundation.net/norfolk-hub.