Colonel Vadym Sukharevsky, the 39-year-old man leading Ukraines drone division, is a Warhammer guy.
Aprofile of Sukharevskyfor The Economist sets the scene.
Wires, drone-boxes and computers lie scattered over the floor.
Commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Vadym Sukharevsky at the ‘Ukraine in Kyiv.© Photo by Andriy Zhyhaylo/Obozrevatel/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images
Sukharevsky sits in a gaming chair with custom embroidery.
A lot of people get their gamer tags sewn into the heads of their chairs, but not Sukharevsky.
Warhammer is a British wargame where players paint miniatures and battle them in lengthy tabletop campaigns.
The Economist doesnt specify which version Sukharevsky has models for, but Warhammer 40K is far more popular.
Warhammer 40K depicts a nightmarish future where humanity is swaddled in fascism and war is a constant of life.
Humanity is a galaxy-spanning Empire that toils in genocidal wars in service to a corpse emperor.
It was once a niche hobby but has become increasingly popular, even among politicians and soldiers.
James Cleverly, Britains Home Secretary, is a big fan.
During interviews at his home, Cleverlys Sisters of Battlea kind of gun-wielding warrior nunareon display behind him.
In Ukraine,drones are the future of war.
Quadcopters and FPV drones have helped Kyiv fight Russia to a stalemate.
Modern war is still about taking and holding territory and combined arms.
In many ways, the war in Ukraine looks a lot like World War I and World War II.
Artillery pummels either side from the air.
Ukraine has even dug out140-year-old machine gunsand entered them into service.
The difference now is that all this activity is aided by technology.
Drones give commanders eyes in the sky and the ability to cheaply strike at enemy armor in the field.
Sometimes, aSteamdeckis being used to control those old machine guns.
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