Drone &
Aerial Reel
Conflict Zone
Footage & Advisory
Drone work is part of how I cover stories — not a separate specialism. From shooting the first journalist aerial footage inside Mosul during the ISIS liberation operation in late 2016, to working with drone operators in Ukraine and most recently in Damascus shortly after the fall of the Assad regime, aerial imagery has been a consistent thread through my conflict reporting.
Aerial Footage
Using drones in conflict zones is not straightforward.
Having operated and coordinated drone work across Iraq, Ukraine and Syria — including inside an active urban battlespace during the Mosul offensive — I have a detailed, practical understanding of what it takes to fly legally, safely and without jeopardising access or security in hostile environments.
Most of the risk in conflict-zone drone work is not technical. It is relational and operational — understanding which military or security actors control a given airspace, what their sensitivities are, how to obtain clearance through the right channels, and how to avoid situations where a drone is confiscated, a team is detained, or worse, where the drone is mistaken for a threat.
I offer advisory support to journalists, documentary teams and media organisations planning to deploy drones in Iraq or Ukraine — covering authorisation processes, military coordination, equipment transport and customs, and situational risk assessment.
What teams often underestimate.
Airspace authorisation: In Iraq, airspace control is fragmented across the Iraqi Air Force, Kurdish authorities, coalition forces and various PMF structures depending on the location. Obtaining clearance is not a single process — it requires knowing which actor controls the relevant zone and having the contacts to approach them correctly.
Equipment transport and customs: Bringing a drone into Iraq or Ukraine without proper documentation and prior coordination creates serious risk — of confiscation at the border, of raising security flags, or of operating without awareness of the relevant military commands. I can help teams navigate import procedures and the necessary pre-arrival notifications.
Operational risk in Ukraine: The war in Ukraine has produced the world’s most contested drone environment. Flying near frontline positions without explicit military clearance carries extreme risk — both from Ukrainian electronic warfare systems targeting unidentified UAVs, and from the visibility it creates for the team on the ground. Awareness of the rules of engagement for drone operations is not optional.
Damascus and post-conflict Syria: Following the fall of the Assad regime, the authority structures governing airspace in Syria remain highly fluid. I have recent experience on the ground in Damascus and can advise teams on the current operating environment.