Patrick Messmer: “It’s not a problem for me.” SRF / Rundschau
Drones are playing an increasingly important role in Ukraine. A Swiss drone pilot is also fighting on the front lines.
This content was published on 02 September 2024 – 11:00
At the end of April, 41-year-old Patrick Messmer gave up his life in Switzerland and went to war. Out of conviction, as he says: “It is clear to me that the Russians will not stop in Ukraine if we do not stop them. That is why I went.”
In Switzerland, Messmer most recently worked in a cheese factory. He was on the board of the local shooting club and trained young shooters. Today he drops homemade bombs from drones onto Russian units.
At night, he drives with two comrades close to the front, steers his drone over enemy positions – and drops grenades. Messmer kills people at the push of a button, from a safe distance. It’s brutal, but it doesn’t give him sleepless nights. “I don’t have any extreme experiences when I kill. It’s a bit like a computer game.”
New dimension of war
Drones have changed warfare in Ukraine. Day and night, reconnaissance drones from both sides hover over the battlefield and observe the enemy. While at the beginning of the war it was mainly large military drones that were used, today small drones, like those piloted by Patrick Messmer, dominate.
Instead of millions, they only cost thousands or hundreds of dollars. Ukraine has ordered a million drones this year alone.
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The war over the battlefield is also a war with electromagnetic waves. Both sides are using jammers to try to interrupt communication between the drones and the pilots. Russia is considered to be a leader in this technique, known as “jamming”. “That is our biggest problem,” says Patrick Messmer. “We are losing drones over the target area because of it.”
In the Foreign Legion
Messmer serves in the International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine, which was founded after the Russian attack in 2022. Volunteers from different countries fight here.
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According to reports, extremists and criminals have also been accepted into the force time and again. Messmer’s commander, who calls himself Pascha, makes no secret of this to the Rundschau: “We have people who are fleeing prosecution in their home country.” Most of them, however, come to fight for the freedom of Ukraine. “I have great respect for that.”
Prison sentence included
In Switzerland, Patrick Messmer faces prison for his service in Ukraine. Swiss citizens who serve in foreign military service face a fine or a prison sentence of up to three years. Messmer’s case is known to the military justice system.
The opening of proceedings is currently being considered, they said in response to a request. Criminal proceedings are also pending against Messmer on suspicion of violating the weapons law. The sports shooter told Rundschau that he had correctly registered all of his 20 or so weapons in Switzerland. The Lucerne public prosecutor’s office does not want to comment on the ongoing proceedings. The presumption of innocence applies.
Messmer wants to stay in Ukraine after the war. “After I retire, I might come back to Switzerland and serve my sentence.” He is not afraid that the war will end his life beforehand. “In our position, we are so far away from the gunfire that the risk is almost zero. And if a glide bomb hits me, then that’s just how it is.”
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