Elon Musk's battalion, or how regular subunit of territorial defense became cyber unit

Mind has spent a day with the fighters of the territorial defense forces of AFU. For the sake of saving the emotional aspects, we present you a first-person story. However, we have changed the unit's name and the names of all its members for security issues. We also knowingly do not disclose their location.

I have made a wrong turn four times, searching for a secret bunker of territorial defense. The navigator was obnoxiously lying, and the correct address turned out to be a kilometer away from the point on a map where it got me followed. Well, if I, as a journalist, had a hard time finding a way without any road signs, the enemy is in deep trouble. Fortunately for me, I had a pointman guiding me over the phone. Forty-five minutes late, I finally managed to get to the place I needed.

'Smart vision'

While I was wandering, I didn't notice that AI had been watching every step of mine. Cameras, installed around the sector Elon Musk's battalion is responsible for, examine the facial features and identify strangers missing from the database. If I hadn't told beforehand about my visit, the recon drone would've "greeted" me, followed by armed to the teeth Rapid response team.

I was lucky to be invited. Silently I work my way forward, going after a giant-like Serhii to the heart of this bunker  – situation room furnished with state-of-the-art equipment.

While I inspect mystery marks on gigantic maps projected on the wall, the head of the unit, Valerii, tells me how the idea of computer-aided watchmen unfolded. "We had a big territory to cover and a few people to do it. Our soldiers patrolled the area and looked out for the enemy, no matter the weather. It might be the case of saboteurs in plainclothes snooping for information about our location, not just armed Russians. When the cold got the better of us, we started to think about what we could do so that our guys spent less time on the perimeter but still had eyes on everything that goes around."

At first, fighters didn't do anything special – they left markings throughout the territory to see if somebody stepped in here. Then they brought stray dogs and began to feed them. When they heard the dogs barking, the response team came forward.

Not so long after, we came up with the idea of putting a tripwire with motion-activated sound and flash grenades. Somewhere high, a man was placed to pinpoint the flashes of light, and that's where the response team went afterward.

"We needed eyes on the area, and we found them, tells Olexii, an IT specialist with 20 years of experience who is now a digital powerhouse of the unit. We began by installing cameras in the surrounding area to monitor the current state of affairs. The officer on duty sat at the computer. Only then artificial intelligence came on the scene. Suppose someone comes in who is not in our database; the information immediately goes to the duty officer who checks it. Then he transmits the information to the operational unit. And before long, the squad drives out."

Today there is a high risk of using chemical weapons. We have a computer that monitors indicators. If there is a sharp drop, we immediately receive information with advice on how to act, as explained by the territorial defense. "For example, put on a gauze bandage soaked in a soda and water solution and move 200 meters away from where the contamination occurred."

Prompt cooperation

The head of the unit Valerii reminisces how he sent his family to a safe place on the second day of the war and enrolled in the territorial defense. Valerii has military training and experience in combat in Anti-Terrorist Operation Zone (ATO) under his belt. So, he drew the territorial defense command's attention to how his housing area was 'not covered' (lacking security and block posts). "I offered the TD leadership to form a unit and take this area under protection. We invited people who live nearby and know the neighbors and every trail."

"In the early days of the war, there were lines everywhere to get into the territorial defense forces," says Bohdan. "That's why we decided to create our own unit. I asked around and gathered the guys. Now and then, we have our hands full. We take out our wounded, protect critical infrastructure entities, and conduct supplementary reconnaissance and clean-up operations. We also organize evacuation missions."

The technological advancements in the unit began with the arrival of Oleh. He is an experienced IT specialist who has worked for decades as a project manager on introducing the latest IT systems in the defense sector. It was Oleh who suggested using artificial intelligence to track the movement of outsiders on the protected territory. If you fight, do it by NATO standards, so to say.

In a few days, the brigade amassed a team of IT professionals who began debottlenecking problems on the front to save the lives of brothers-in-arms. The boys admit that they have no knack for fighting with weapons in their hands. Nevertheless, they try to be helpful by doing something they know so well. After all, everyone can dig trenches, but only a few are able to control combat drones.

"With adrenaline pumping in our veins, we worked exceptionally fast. For example, when I was a part of a large IT company, the deployment of the situation center took 50 days. Here, in 10 days, we made the identical room ourselves, with only a handful of hackers and programmers. We worked for 14-15 hours a day, though. We were just galvanized somehow, and everything worked out pretty quickly. It got to the point of ridicule: one person offered us to make a draft of a situation room. But, while he was drawing, we had already made it and brought it to life!"

What once was a small empty room is now a modern situation center. A server room with specialized software allows fighters from the territorial defense to have planning sessions and perform reconnaissance.

According to Oleh, the situation rooms of that caliber can be found in the State Emergency Service (SES), the Presidential Office of Ukraine, and the Kyiv City State Administration. "Our unit has been extensively using more than 20 sophisticated programs. We have Hewlett-Packard servers operating; the entire network is built on American Cisco Systems equipment. Everything is top-notch. We even have Starlink."

The screen is made out of elastic fabric-like material. It is rainproof and will continue to work even in case of bullet penetration.

"Plasma screens are fragile. This screen, on the other hand, does not break, and it is easily transported. You can draw on it. It is very convenient because we see where to place our forces, where the enemy may hide, or which way to go when we devise operation plans. We look at the map to establish the withdrawal routes too. There is also a conference call system for real-time remote meetings with battalion and division headquarters."

The total equipment cost amounts to approximately UAH 5 million in this situation room. That said, the TD did not receive a penny from the state budget. Where do all these gadgets and software come from, then?

Deputy head Bohdan explains that everything in the unit's possession was gifted by benefactors and came around owing to arrangements with an IT community. The latter helps the Ukrainian army in every way imaginable, by the way.

"We had people with their own drones, and they set up trainings for others on how to use the devices. Further down the line, we knocked on every door, keeping a low profile, of course. Both foreign and Ukrainian companies, being our acquaintances, came to the rescue. Somebody presented us with equipment, others temporarily lent it, and someone else brought the items from home. For example, volunteers gave us two drones worth UAH 150,000 each. We also bought some things out of our pockets."

“We have friends in the Israeli army, and they pass the cutting-edge software to us, the fighters elaborate. To a single unit of territorial defense, just to think of it. If we had high clearance, we could aim for more. For instance, getting access to the cameras installed in villages and cities that police use or cellphones to track people down. The sky is the limit when it comes to technical capabilities these days.”

Perfect plan

Servicemen are testing new Israeli technology. It is a program that analyzes forces posture on the battlefield and forecasts the outcome of combat in a particular situation.  

"We have analytics that enables one to envisage the battle result,” local hackers say. “The computer calculates the possible development depending on task conditions. The program suggests how to place armored personnel carriers (APC) and tanks in a more advantageous way and in which direction they should shoot for the enemy to incur maximum losses."

Virtual reality helps in preparation for a combat mission, too, in a case when men are dispatched to an unknown location.

"Say, I've never been in Lysychansk. We get the chance to explore the perimeter using VR glasses and travel with Google Street View. It provides a possibility to navigate the terrain quickly," explains Sviatoslav, a former banker responsible for the power box.

3D glasses and simulators come in hand when training to control military vehicles like tanks or APCs.

"With these glasses, anyone who feels like it can understand how various equipment works (a tank, an APC, or another.) A single gunshot costs $1,500, which is the price of the projectile. This way, though, our fighter learns how to start the vehicle and which button is responsible for any given function. The same goes for small arms – we set targets and train to shoot them virtually. Then we see if it was a hit or miss. This is how we save resources."

In preparation for cases when cell reception is poor and remote radio sets are out of work, the unit designed an alternative solution, i.e., sending SMS via Bluetooth. "We can transmit messages up to 5 km away through it," IT experts say. Now we are working on making it also an audio connection."

"We are on track to observe what is going on with our servicemen in real-time during the fight," says Bohdan. "Sometimes, the life of a whole group depends on one person. Thus, if a person is wounded, they cannot carry out the combat mission. So, we face the need to contact and replace them."

The Ukrainian application ComBat Vision assists with the simulation of a coming attack. Commander is in charge of this process from the situation room and outlines the task. Later he watches forces repositioning and dealing with the tasks assigned in real-time mode.

ComBat Vision performance display

"We start by studying the surroundings to understand better how to build the strategy," explains the battalion commander. "Then, we enter location data, and the algorithm provides the most promising scenario. Afterward, we choose the tactical approach based on these favorable options, meaning who and where should strike. A task appears on the map for everyone. Utilizing drones, we can adjust our actions through the headset. For instance, when a tank is spotted on the right, we regroup."

Each fighter has a task on his phone: they see their site and plan of action. They can also mark points on the map, revealing what they witnessed on the spot. At the same time, each military is aware of where their brothers-in-arms are territorially located, thanks to the program.

The developer also took care of information security issues in the program. The serviceman does not know what others are doing. The military believes it is perfect because one babbling tongue endangers the whole group if they have fallen prisoner.

"Each of us has a different level of access to maps. The General has a complete picture, but we see a little less. Just what we need to see. By the way, if one of our phones is taken away, after three incorrect PIN code entries, all information is automatically deleted."

The unit plans to stick mini-cameras broadcasting video online to the fighters. Accordingly, everything they see will be conveyed to the situation center. Add the footage from drones and the fighters' locations on the map, and the Commander will acutely understand changes in positions and progress with the clean-up.

Zero casualties war 

The guys show a demonstration video of an Israeli kamikaze drone. The military says if you have a million kamikaze drones, you may as well win the war without casualties.

A built-in video camera is activated when a drone flies to a location. The program will signal if a person with a weapon has been spotted. The information is further transferred to the situation center, and a decision is made to monitor the target or destroy it.

The micro suicide drone performance display

The same analytical system is now used by TD for situation monitoring in the zone set out for them.

"New technologies give us never-seen-before possibilities.” As explained by Bohdan, our Kherson steppes make it challenging to come close to the enemy. “People just dig the trenches and die as soon as they come out. However, empowered by such innovations, it is possible to survive and win."

The men-in-arms of the unit dream of using these high-tech weapons more often. They await to get unmanned combat aircraft manufactured by Maksym Muzyka. This prototype accelerates up to 190 km/h and hits the target according to the set coordinates at 130 km/h. The impact zone is 35 m2. 

Bohdan wants to become an operator of this drone. "Five of these same drones have been in the use of AFU since 2015 in ATO Zone, and none of them have been brought down. The enemy is unable to override the drone as the code is fail-safe ciphered. Special operations forces will soon receive such unmanned aerial systems, and then it is our turn. We are sixth in line, and after receipt, we will be the most battlefield-equipped IT professionals out there."

Mind fully comprehends that a publication of this sort may intimidate the enemy and give them some clues. That is why the information has been somewhat altered.