Adam Gaines, a 47-year-old tree surgeon from Bath, once spent his days clinging to wind turbines in the British countryside. Today, he looks back on six intense months piloting explosive drones over battle-worn fields in Ukraine—a chapter of his life that has left him forever changed.
Growing up in Bath and attending St Stephen’s Primary and Beechen Cliff School, Adam was naturally drawn to land-based work. His path led him to countryside management and eventually tree surgery, a career grounded in physical labor and stability. Yet, a curiosity for high-risk roles steered him into two decades of security work worldwide, including stints in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and eight years in the U.S., where he familiarized himself with firearms. Later, he worked at dizzying heights on wind turbine blades.
When a contact suggested joining Ukrainian forces, Adam responded without hesitation. “I just went, ‘yeah, okay, why not?’” he recalls. Arriving in Ivano-Frankivsk with a mixture of naivety and resolve, Adam quickly shifted from expectation to reality. Guided by a local named Anton, he undertook six weeks of rigorous drone training and earned an internationally recognized drone operations certificate.
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Rather than joining the foreign legion, Adam affiliated with Ukraine’s 115th Brigade in Donetsk Oblast. Starting with engineering bunkers and trenches, he soon joined the Pathfinder Unit—a specialized drone team tasked with reconnaissance and attack missions. “We’d be in bunkers for four days straight, getting barely eight hours of sleep,” he says.
Adam’s role evolved into operating FPV drones to strike enemy targets, ranging from Russian drone teams and artillery to, tragically, soldiers themselves. The toll was devastating: he lost nine comrades in three weeks, including victims of a gas attack involving chemical agents dropped from a bomb-carrying drone.
His service wasn’t without close calls. A near-fatal accident occurred when a fellow recruit accidentally detonated a shrapnel bomb nearby. Adam survived with shrapnel wounds embedded in his body but was forced to continue flying drones while bleeding heavily. “Absolute madness,” he reflects.
Coping with trauma has been a familiar battle. Prior encounters with post-traumatic stress from his security roles helped, but the war’s intensity presented new challenges. Back in hospital, the silence contrasted starkly with the constant bombardment he’d grown used to, leaving him with ringing ears and imbalance.
Despite the horrors, Adam harbours pride in his contributions. “That first successful drone strike—it gave me an overwhelming feeling of purpose,” he says. Drone teams, while respected, are prime targets for enemy forces who show no mercy if captured.
Amid the devastation, Adam found unexpected solace in Ukraine’s natural beauty—the pine forests, lakes, and prairies—though leaving his canine companion behind is a painful memory.
Now back in the UK, Adam faces the challenge of reintegration. With no family commitments, the decision to join the conflict was easier, though many friends disapproved. For Adam, it was a break from boredom and frustration, an opportunity to forge new skills and experiences.
Looking ahead, he plans to pursue drone-related work, wind turbine inspections, and time relaxing in Nantucket. He acknowledges the harsh realities of war and Ukraine’s uncertain future but remains clear-eyed. “People here truly have each other’s backs—something rare at home,” he observes.
When asked if he’d do it again, Adam hesitates but ultimately affirms, “Part of me says yes.” He advises anyone considering similar paths to avoid the Legion unless they have military experience and to focus on mastering drones—a skillset with global value.
Today, Adam is transformed—teetotal, smoke-free, and more focused. The scars and losses linger, but so does a profound sense of purpose. “You take the drone up, make your moves, again and again—it’s mind-boggling. But in the end, I made a difference. That means something.”