****This article originally appeared in Kyiv Free Press on 2/24/2026.
Commander Magyar funded his own drone unit and became one of the most efficient units on the front, known to have a 1000:1 kill ratio.
Magyar has been on my periphery for a little while. Ive seen his photo here and there in military OSINT circles. Funny enough, when I was under russian bombings in Kyiv, Ukraine in June 2025 during my unreleased interview with soldier Ryan O’Leary amid the shutdown of his notorious foreign unit Chosen Company (some of whose soldiers I am friends with), I asked him the question of who the best drone team was……
“Davinci wolves”? (I had heard of them through fundraisers in our international community…)
“No. Magyar birds is the top drone Unit.” O’Leary told me.
But I didn’t need him to tell me that… the killboard says so, consistently. And do you know what more targets mean? More drones….and less russian invaders……….
Up until recently I did not know much about Commander Magyar until he released a response correcting Ryan O’Leary’s January statements during his “operational depth” interview with US Cpt. Preston Stewart.
Since then I’ve realized Robert Brovdi is probably one of the most pivotal military political figures in Ukraine’s imminent victory, and the US-Ukraine Defense alliance.
It’s a very important statement, because it evidences what Ukraine needs in order to gain operational advantage … so please read it in full, every single word……..
⚡️Commander Magyar comments on the accusations being spread.
I’m forced to explain, because some people are tough only on words – and off it went across the web:
"While Magyar is busy aiming at and killing worms™ for a pretty picture instead of fucking up logistics and…
Commander’s philosophy is to preserve the lives of his soldiers while defending their homeland by scaling deep strike capability along the front which enables personnel to move further from the zero line. That’s why the USF has 15,000 vacancies to fill. That’s a lot of drones.
Now the Birds is on my radar hard. I’m actually really kicking myself for not having followed them much closer until now, especially given the fact that I’ve been working in my community to send drone jammers and other life-saving equipment to Ukraine’s military on the front as well as having facilitated conversations with the Office of the US Secretary of State and key drone industry leaders to discuss the fiscal need to enhance drone warfare.
The Commander, Robert Brovdi, aka “Magyar” was originally a businessman in Ukraine’s agrisector before he alongside his Ukrainian brothers – ordinary civilians just months earlier— volunteered to join the Ukrainian military in the historical resistance when terrorist state russia invaded Ukraine exactly four years to this day.
Four years into the war, Commander Magyar heads the Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) comprised of 12 units: SVAROG, Flying Skull, Steppe Predators, K-2, Magyarʼs Birds, Achilles, RAROG, THE HAWKS, 9th brigade of unmanned systems, and 1st separate center of unmanned systems.
The USF is the first military branch dedicated solely to drone warfare out of any country in the world. And for those of us who follow critical international security matters, we understand that the US wants this capability.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has recently pushed for US drone dominance.
Ukraine is the dominator of drone warfare and drones are the future of modern warfare,
This past weekend, one of USF’s drone’s eliminated a $75M cmerch (tornadoe), a russian missile that has 300 mm range. As Commander Magyar stated, “These tornadoes nightmare Kharkiv, Zaporizhia Sumy, Kherson, Nikopol and other peaceful cities of Ukraine.”
The story of Magyar Birds is one of the many iconic stories which represent how Ukrainians have thrown their all into defending their nation against russian invasion. The Birds truly capture the heart and pride of Ukraine. That’s why I wanted to share with you the unit’s statement on the four year mark, showcasing the nation’s enduring will and strength to continue their defense, directly from the military itself:
“Four years since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Twelve years of the modern phase of the war. Hundreds of years of Russia’s attempts to destroy Ukraine.
That morning, they wanted to erase us. The state — from the map. The people — from history.
They failed.
But over these years, we have paid. With names. With lives. With those who will never return. With cities that became the front line. With fields that became the site of the final battle.
This day is about remembrance.
About those who took the first strike. And about those who are holding it today.
About those who will never again stand in formation. And about those who continue to stand.
They do not allow the enemy to advance. And they will not allow what was paid for so dearly to be erased.
Eternal honor and remembrance to the fallen. You are forever in our hearts.
Strength and endurance to all who continue the fight.
GLORY TO UKRAINE! GLORY TO THE HEROES!”
**********Please support our movement in the US-Ukraine defense alliance by supporting the Peace Through Strength Institute with whom has invited me to report live from the US capitol on March 25, 2025 at the Ground Truth Symposium on the demands of Ukraine’s military as we hear from Ukraine’s top Drone Commanders. As always, if you are interested in US-Ukraine defense alliance, you can send me questions to field, especially while I am there…. alexzpublicrelations@gmail.com.
This article was originally Published by Kyiv Free Press on 9/1/25
The following is part 1 of an interview I conducted with a lifelong Kyivan who runs her own Fashion Design company in the heart of Ukraine’s political capitol. Her name is Tanya Kochur, and she runs a Ukrainian fashion design brand out of her shop filled with natural and colorful, fun, and feminine handmade clothes from a variety of brands, including her own.
Tanya Kochur is the Founder / CEO of Logic Clothing in Downtown Kyiv, Ukraine
I met Tanya when I briefly resided in Kyiv this past summer. I don’t think many Americans realize this, but Ukrainians have a very high sense of fashion. Whenever I travel to Ukraine, one of the first things I do is go shopping to update my fashion to Ukrainian standards so I can blend in, and plus because it’s fun to dress up. All of the women look so pretty and fashionable in Ukraine.
Since I am really turned on to Ukrainian brands, I was so excited to find Tanya’s shop named Logic Clothes off Sofiivs’ka St. Her clothing store features artsy pieces and unique layers that you can add on, and she likes to work with breathable materials which tie comfort to style, depending on the weather. Nothing is mass made, and there are usually never more than a few makes for every peice of clothing she designs, which adds to the rarity of the outfits she designs. She pointed out an embroidered apron that had a subtle touch of Ukrainian folklore.
“It’s famous, everyone knows it.” she said of Ukrainian embroidery. She pointed to the design, “But it’s a light embroidery – with a small touch, not too costume.”
I stopped in her shop a few times and ultimately bought a few really unique dresses she handmade. My favorite was offwhite with these straps that kind of reminded me of a straight jacket, and the other was a green dress and green is my color plus it’s a nice patriotic color now because of the military. The woman at her store even gifted me with this soft black braided rope that I can add to my outfit – truly thoughtful in every single way. And this is apart of Tanya’s philosophy, to make clothing an experience. If you need something fitted or stitched, she will do it for you.
When we first met, Tanya and I began talking politics and it was clear to me she had a heavy conscience about how foreigners viewed Ukrainians during war. “It’s good for people to see how Ukrainians live, many people think that Ukrainians are stuck living like it was centuries ago. but its not the case.”
Tanya explained to me how in her generation growing up, Ukrainians thought America was so great, there were so many opportunities, and there were so many work opportunities being created in America. Similar to my husband, her husband Oleksander went to work in Ukraine when he was 18, he went through a school program. Back then he wanted to move to the US, he had this vision. But now, with Trump in office, he thinks it would be terrible… knowing that half of America elected somebody who sides with Russia… he would probably leave.
As a fellow politically minded person, for even me as an American, I actually have less anxiety living in Kyiv “under bombs” because i dont have to convince anyone to be on my side when it comes to being super pro-Ukrainian. Everybody in Kyiv pretty much already is.
When I asked Tanya for an interview, I wanted to know what she wanted to share with others – if she wanted to talk about the fashion industry. “Designing is not what’s most important right now.”
“When you ask me what to talk about, I don’t understand for people why war isn’t #1.”
For the first two years of Russia’s fullscale invasion, she dropped all of her work in the fashion industry. People weren’t interested in clothes anyways…they were walking around wearing grey hoodies, everything was closed and on lock down…But for Tanya, her focus completely shifted anyway. She consumed herself in war and news.
“But not just to learn about the bombing, but from my desire to know what’s going on.”
Tanya said she also follows russian journalists, and is surprised at their lack of coverage of the war.
“I ask myself, why is war not #1 for them? It seems like it should be, if you’re a journalist, it would be the only thing that’s interesting to you.”
The war changed things. Designers began to produce socks with messages. Sometimes, such as “Kill Russians”. Ukrainian brands started raise funds to buy FPV drones with the proceeds earned from their clothing sales. They collect funds to help the army, to give medicine.
“It’s not so much about design so much as it is about living it through.”
The war transformed the Kyiv-based fashion designer’s world, and it became expressed through her work.
The Kyivan fashion designer half jokingly noted an interesting interaction when a russian contacted her on social media from Moscow to buy some of her clothes. She responded, she will deliver clothes on FPV drone only.
“When I think of Ukraine fashion week, I don’t know–I don’t want to say if it’s good or bad. A lot of people are gathering and having a good time, beautifully dressed on the runway, while someone is dying. To me, small brands buying drones is more interesting than fashion week.”
Tanya stated there is this survivors guilt during war, and she doesn’t want to look around at the people enjoying themselves and hold it against them. “You never know who did what or if they did more. Maybe they donated a lot that day, maybe they volunteered, and they feel a free conscience to enjoy themselves.”
And there are so many fundraisers now for Ukraine’s war effort, and it makes people feel better to give.
In the first 1 1/2 years in war, Tanya was volunteering as much as she could. “There were some people who were volunteering 24 hours per day. they are good examples for me.”
Now almost four years into russia’s savage fullscale invasion Tanya now needs to work and has other things going on, but she wants the opportunity to hire people so she can volunteer.
She said of the war volunteers, “I admire this kind of people. For me, these people are the best and we should be like them more.”
Volunteering and fundraising to support Ukraine’s military is empowering for Ukrainian society.
“Have you ever heard of Sputnik?” Tanya asked me.
“No, I haven’t.”
She explained the famous fundraiser where Ukraine needed photos from space, so they had a huge gathering and the idea was everybody can give a little as no amount was too small.
“You can give 6 hryvnias. Do you know how much that is? It’s nothing. And so everyone gave, and we bought Sputnik. And then we were like, what’s next, nuclear?”
“What are your feelings that the people of Ukraine are giving to the Military, do you feel like it should be the government’s job?”, I asked her.
“Even Israel with their wars going on right now is donating to Ukraine’s war. The government cannot do everything. Any changes that you want to make begins with yourself. It starts with you. I think that’s a really Russian way of thinking… that someone should do it for you… that some guy will come and just do it for you. There is even a difference in Ukrainian and Russian language. Linguistically, Russians have the phrase ‘it happened’– not ‘you did it’. In Ukrainian, we only have the form ‘I did it’.”
Tanya believes that being loyal to the Ukrainian government right now is more important than criticizing it. “It’s not the time to talk about mistakes–we will talk about it later Do what you do. It’s the Ukrainian President’s job to make diplomatic connections. He’s doing what he does. Guy’s in the Army have a right to talk about what the government did or didn’t do. but everyone should do what they can and not blame.”
“Russians are the only guilty one, not the government… them and their government are like a population that fell out from the world and centuries we live in. There is this saying in Ukrainian, it’s called “na na chasu” or, “not the time”.
Tanya loves to follow economic blogs regarding war… she told me they say Russia will collapse, and that the economic situation is getting very bad in russia. “It could be one year, it could be 5 years…but doesn’t the world know it’s better for Russia to collapse sooner than later? Because over time Russians will keep leaving Russia, go to their countries, and then they will have problems there.”
A student of war and a learner of the enemy russian state that has fueled this deadly invasion, Tanya has a message to Americans. “I want to say to everyone in the US, to watch a little bit of russian TV to see what they are talking about YOU. There are so many bad words about America on russian TV. When you first see it, you’re shocked, then you think it’s a joke, and then, you just become used to it. They say, Nuke DC, London, kill Americans, every day. For a long time the russians have been making the worst enemies to America.”
And Ukrainians like Tanya believe that russian people are responsible for the war, not just state TV or politicians.
“It’s not only on Putin who started the war. It’s the whole country, russia. Russians can actually vote, they can vote to change something. If you’re not good with something, go to the streets and do something about it.” But the russians don’t do much to stop the war.
“Ukrainians suffer a lot of pain because of russia. A lot of uncertainty. What will happen. Will it? Won’t it? In the beginning we thought, even if Putin starts the war, many of us initially thought, the russians will stop it. We were sure they would. But they never did.”
Back before the full scale invasion, maybe there was a possibility Ukrainians would try to understand russians. “I’m in Kyiv, here’s a man, here’s another man, listening in 2019, maybe he has smart ideas, maybe he can help people understand eachthier. But now, it’s not important anymore.”
Tanya has listened to a lot of the published phonecalls between captured russian prisoners and their family back home. “I was shocked, it’s systemic. I just kept listening to another and another, they don’t care about their sons who went to war. They are like ‘What can I do. What can I do.’ I don’t understand this.
She began to draw to the linguistic differences between russian and Ukrainain.“When Ukrainians say “What can I do”, it is to fix something. But when russians say “what can I do”, it doesn’t even make sense to Ukrainians.
But what happened to the Americans, she wonders.
Americans were known to bring food during the cold war era, dry milk. “I remember it. I was a kid, russians don’t remember it. 60-90% of the US biggest enemy is russia. Propaganda made them hate you. But they really hate you now. They set fire to the flag, dirty it. And American people do’t see it, they do’t listen to it.”
And the lifelong Kyivan warned Americans. “For russia to invade the East, a lot of people felt it could happen because the regions are connected. But for russia to come to Kyiv, we thought it was impossible. After what they did to us, I don’t know, I’m not sure they wont go farther. He wont stop. And when there is not enough people, there will be drones.”
Tanya reminded that peacetime since the world wars was only 70-80 years ago. “That’s a very little time compared to history. We are fighting We do’t want to agree with it. We also fight for our freedom. And we knpow that the US wants our people to be strong, and we hope that if we show strength, our allies will stand up for us too.”
Image Credit: Ukrainian National Information Service
To the editor:
I’ve recently come back from Ukraine where I witnessed Russia’s destruction and strikes in the cities where I spent most of my time, in Kyiv and in the Odessa region. And now that I’m back, in light of the upcoming meeting between Trump and Putin, I have a few questions.
Why has not one Southwest Florida CD-19 Congressional candidate taken any position on Ukraine or Russia? More importantly, why is Trump letting land invader Putin come to Alaska to negotiate territories of Ukraine this week at USAF-US Army base, Base Elmendorf-Richardson?
Aside from the violation of international law and territorial integrity, and full blown genocide of Ukrainian AND Russian people, let’s quickly debrief a recent history on Putin’s false sense of entitlement to this American state….
In 2022 Russia disrespected U.S. national borders, threatening to take back Alaska from the US.
In 2024 Russia alongside China then proceeded to patrol America’s Alaskan island with nuclear warships, threatening our military power in the region.
Alaska borders Russia, just as Ukraine borders Russia…. If Trump is willing to negotiate Ukraine’s borders, what is next?
Putin, Trump, and all consenting American politicians should heavily reconsider allowing war criminal Vladimir Putin to step foot into the States. They should know, and the world should know, exactly how much America hates the Nazi Russian regime.
If more American politicians took actions against terrorists, imagine how much peace in the world there would be.
The current Southwest Florida Congressional candidates who failed to denounce Russia the very week Putin came to the States are not serious about national security, democracy, nor the American public for that matter. All they care about is personal enrichment, popularity, attention, or whatever serves this seemingly malign interest to choke out the real American public who I’ve come to know, and who stands with me vehemently against the terrorist Russian state.
Where are the leaders who’ve got the backbone to stand up when it counts? Where are the leaders who will think for themselves instead of let their puppet master think for them?
I implore President Trump against making deals with terrorists…. what we need is force. And I implore him to refuse entry to war criminal Vladimir Putin to the US. Stay off our land.
To read about my experiences in wartime Ukraine, please follow my new publication at kyivfreepress.com. I look forward to sharing more directly with my community in the near future.
This article was originally published in Kyiv Free Press on July 4, 2025.
Call to action: Tell the US Congress that Ukraine needs air defense by navigating here.
For about a month now I have been living in Ukraine. I left America to visit my family in Europe as well as work on a couple of projects. One of them was to launch this website as an outlet to connect with other writers to publish more personalized and relatable stories about wartime Ukraine.
Since back home in the States I’m usually the person who throws a public event for Ukrainian independence day, I really was hoping to launch my first public article today, on July 4. But that’s where my celebration of my country’s Independence day ends, as it would be disgraceful for me to celebrate such an international disgrace.
Dont get me wrong, I love my country. And I wont hide it, I felt a little pride when the skies above me were protected by the US-provided patriot missile in action during a russian strike in Kyiv from the place I was staying at the time in downtown Kyiv…..
It’s just that I had bigger expectations for America than our leaders who’s distortion of “America First” values actually keeps us the leader of the free world.
Growing up nearby NYC, I saw the Twin Towers go down when I was a kid. I felt that Patriotism reverberate from the center of my state throughout my entire country, and the world. In the face of attacks, America became a symbol of global freedoms. Not only flags were everywhere but a certain national spirit to protect our people.
While those memories hold a special place in my heart, those days are long gone now in America, and with it went our nation’s pursuit for global freedoms.
But not for all of us. There are guys like Ryan O’Leary, who fought for America and in other foreign wars and now in Ukraine, and who yesterday just lost another American brother, Dan, who was fighting in Ukraine.
Це лише підтверджує мою попередню думку про некомпетентність командування. Я втомився, як і багато інших, від українських офіцерів, які не розуміють, що таке бій, не мають жодного ситуаційного усвідомлення, не тямлять у веденні бойових дій і загалом ставлять нагороди та кв… https://t.co/eN0uIcLVTl
Since being here, I strongly feel that Kyiv has become the global capitol of freedom. There is a certain spirit everywhere here that I have to search for back home to find. A spirit that is dead, sleeping, on autopilot or just…never existed in the first place.
In Ukraine, after nearing four years of russia’s fullscale invasion, that spirit hasn’t died. When russia attacks us, people will go out into the public the next day, talk to eachother and do a check-in, “how was you’re night?”.
The day after I saw the Patriot missile go off, a man who works at a barista at a local coffee shop told me a story of how his girlfriend’s neighbor never shelters, but they sheltered that night and their apartment was obliterated by Iranian-provided Shaheds.
“That’s God”. I said.
He told me, “Today is like their birthday”.
As a politically-minded individual, even between bombings, I am more comfortable in Kyiv than in my own city, in my own nation’s political capitol of DC, because of how infected with russian propaganda our American politics and media has become.
But I know that it’s not what most American people really believe. I talk to most people, and most people support Ukraine and want to defeat russia. Just recently there was poll conducted by my friends with Peace Through Strength Institute (PTSI) which states an overwhelming three-quarters of Americans say the war in Ukraine should be a U.S. priority.
Our people are being misrepresented , our allies being betrayed.
It brings me such shame to be an American in the heart of Kyiv on this day, when just days ago we halted critical military aid for vague reasons that none of our administrators are even aligned upon?
I genuinely have no idea what's actually happening here. From what I can see, DOD is saying the reports of any freezes are false. Ukraine seems to be trying to gain clarity on their end as well.
State Dept: "this is one aspect, one situation, one event that has been… https://t.co/NwpZQTcubu
Yet only one week after Trump promised to send Ukraine more Patriot missiles, the US made the decision to hold up weapons at the Polish border: 92 AIM-7 Sparrow missiles, 30 PAC-3 MSEs, 8496 155mm rounds, 142 AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, 252 GMLRS, 25 Stinger missiles, and 125 AT-4 recoilless anti-tank guns sitting in Poland, collecting dust, waiting to get sent to Ukrainian soldiers. https://x.com/ColbyBadhwar/status/1940504770516791653
The “free” country that for 200+ years our US veterans fought and died for in many foreign wars, no longer stands for global freedom on the world stage. This cold reality remains every day we do not ship additional patriots to Ukraine.
American Independence day used to be my favorite holiday. Honestly, I am that woman who throws a big party and has the fireworks, the beer, cookout, friends, and family. But since 2022, my family stopped celebrating like we used to.
And back in the states my young son who is only a little boy had made this adorable Patriotic hat. (My kids are such good patriotic Ukrainian Americans, they get excited at the sight of anything blue and yellow just as much as they love spotting the American flag).
I am so proud of my Ukrainian American son……
And I was so happy for him and praised him… and my oldest daughter was making plans to celebrate the fourth.
But deep down I felt like I was holding a dark secret, like a lie. Like Santa Claus isn’t real, but far, far sicker and profoundly more demented.
This is not just a question of my country’s politics. This is the question of the beginnings of the end of the free world as we know it.
As we unravel the shrouds that cover the truth, who will be at the core of nation? Our own body politic? Or the incubus of our enemy?
I cannot un-know what I know. And I know we could send Ukraine more weapons to defend it’s people against russia’s brutal attacks such as the one suffered by Kyiv last night….
Kyiv under attack again. Last night recon drone from this same window , lots of strikes tonight, every few minutes actually pic.twitter.com/nDP8X0Hqql
— Alexandra Zakhvatayev🌴 🇺🇸 (@zakhvatayev) July 3, 2025
I have a responsibility to my sons and daughters and to the next generation to do all I can to stop this war today. Not just because I’m in a Ukrainian family. But because I am an American………………..
LVIV free press 