UAV event in Chernihiv, Semenivka area, Ukraine on Sat 18th April 2026

In the Chernihiv region, a seventh-grader neutralized a fiber-optic FPV drone that was flying at his younger brothers and sisters.

The schoolboy tore the cable, after which the drone fell nearby, reports "Suspilne Chernihiv".

The family of 12-year-old Anatoly Prokhorenko comes from Semenivka, on the border of Chernihiv Oblast. He is the oldest child in the family, with four younger brothers and sisters.

The incident occurred on April 18. The boy was outside when he noticed a Russian drone in the sky on a fiber optic cable – a thin cable that unwinds from a reel during flight. The drone was heading towards where his younger siblings were playing.

"I saw that it was starting to turn. I just crouched down, looked - it was up. I said: "That's it, 15 seconds, and I'll tear [the fiber optic]!" My nephew runs out and shouts: "Tear!" I tear and see that [the drone] started to accelerate upwards, because it was losing control and starting to fall. We were already preparing that it would explode now. But the drone fell into the bushes 100-150 meters from us," Anatoliy said.

It was the first time the schoolboy had to neutralize a drone. It was scary, but fear for his family overcame him.

"I'm almost not afraid of anything anymore. Yes, the fear of "Shaheed" is still there. But I'm not afraid of that anymore. Having lived in Semenivka, when [drones] were flying overhead, [it became] not scary," says Anatoliy.

The schoolboy was taught how to properly tear fiber optic cables by his military acquaintances. The boy was helping them cut firewood when they found such a cable on one of the trees. Then the soldier showed Anatoly how to tear it. But he noted that this should only be done in rare cases.

According to the operations director of the Kruk UAV operator training center, Mykyta Havrylenko, the boy was lucky that there was no other drone nearby.

"Usually, an FPV drone does not fly by itself. It is guided by another drone from the air. Conventionally, the Mavic hangs at an altitude of 300 meters and gives target designation: the target is there, the target has moved. And if this drone sees a boy who starts to neutralize them (cut, tangle the fiber optic), what will happen next? Then the child will become a priority target, because he is in the way," the military explained.

Anatoly's main hobby now is mechanics. He loves spending time with his father and helping him fix cars.

After this situation, the schoolboy wants to become a soldier and work with drones. But, despite everything, he dreams of ending the war.

Anatoly's father, Volodymyr Poltoratsky, said that due to the security situation, he and his family moved to Chernihiv.

"He (Anatoly – ed.) is the most reliable support," the man emphasizes.

We previously reported that in the Mykolaiv region, a teenager from a large family saved his younger brother during a fire. The boy received burns and underwent surgery.