How a 12-Year-Old Ukrainian Disabled a Russian Fiber-Optic Drone to Save His Siblings

In the border town of Semenivka, in Ukraine’s Chernihiv region, 12-year-old Anatoliy Prokhorenko prevented a Russian FPV drone from striking his younger siblings, according to Suspilne Chernihiv on April 28.

On April 18, Anatoliy noticed the Russian FPV drone approaching the area where his younger siblings and other children were playing. He saw it begin to turn and then ascend, realizing it was heading directly toward them. “That’s it, 15 seconds, and I’ll tear it!” he recalled thinking.

He then tore the drone’s fiber-optic cable, causing it to lose control and crash into bushes about 100 to 150 meters away from the group.

Anatoliy had previously learned how to handle fiber-optic cables from military acquaintances while helping them cut wood in the forest. One of the soldiers had shown him the wire on a tree and told him to break it in a rare emergency. When the drone appeared, the boy said his instincts took over because of the six children present.

Although he was initially scared, his concern for his family was stronger. He noted that while he still fears "Shahed" drones, living under constant aerial activity in Semenivka has changed his perspective, saying, "I’m almost not afraid of anything anymore."

The boy’s father, Volodymyr Poltoratskyi, said the event caused significant stress for the parents but praised his son's psychological resilience. Following the incident and the ongoing security risks, the family moved to the city of Chernihiv and is planning to register as internally displaced persons. Volodymyr described Anatoliy as his most reliable support, noting that the boy often looks after all the younger children.

Experts from the "Kruk" UAV Operator Training Center noted that the boy was fortunate there were no other drones nearby. Mykyta Havrylenko, the center's operational director, explained that FPV drones are often guided by a secondary observation drone at a higher altitude. He warned that if a surveillance drone sees someone neutralizing equipment, that individual could become a priority target.

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Anatoliy is currently a seventh-grade student whose main hobby is mechanics. He enjoys repairing vehicles with his father and recently helped fix a tractor and a car.

After his experience with the drone, he expressed a desire to become a member of the military and work with drone technology. He said he wants to understand how they are built and how to neutralize them. Above all, the boy expressed his wish for Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine to end.

The incident involving Anatoliy is part of a broader pattern of aerial strikes targeting the civilian population in the region. On January 11, a Russian drone struck an ambulance in Semenivka, Chernihiv region, as medical workers were returning from an emergency call. The attack, which was carried out by a Molniya-type unmanned aerial vehicle, left two paramedics hospitalized with injuries.

During the same strike, the drone hit a local music school, while separate shelling damaged a critical energy facility in the Novhorod-Siverskyi district. These actions caused significant damage to medical equipment and resulted in electricity outages across several local communities.

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