The war in Ukraine is also turning out to be the first major war with massive use of drones. Both sides use this resource to make a dent in the enemy. On the Ukrainian side, only the statistics of Russian attacks are known. President Volodymyr Zelensky reveals that Ukraine has been attacked more than 1000 times by drones in almost 13 months of war.
(RFI) “Before February 24, 2022, we used drones to record videos and images at weddings. Today there is a real army, which has simulators and training centers,” Yeheven, the commander of the special operations unit of the Zaporizhia police, explains to us. For security reasons, this officer will not reveal his last name.
The drone has become indispensable to both sides in the war. The Zaporizhia police have 3 mobile teams that roam the city in defensive and offensive positions. They move in armored vehicles around the city, in constant communication, to try to understand the trajectory of the drones, and with small arms or larger caliber weapons try to shoot down the device it carries.
“When we realize that the drone is approaching” says Commander Yeheven, “we use lasers to identify them.We have another group prepared with weapons that try to shoot them down. Each group has 3 to 4 operatives: 1 driver, 1 man in charge of communications, 2 people to use guns and lasers.
The Russians attack with drones just like the Ukrainians, although Yeheven assures that the Ukrainians do not fire indiscriminately. In the offensive plan on the Kiev side, there are drones to identify infrastructure to hit and to help the artillery understand the targets. And then there are the drones – kamikaze that attack Russian positions. “These have the facility to change direction easily during flight,” adds this Zaporizhia commander
Yehaven tells me that they also use the drones to investigate tracks and trails on the ground and to survey buildings before entering them. The advantages are obvious, this Ukrainian fighter explains.
“Drones are cheaper than missiles and harder to identify and destroy. A 2,000-euro drone can destroy a tank worth many thousands of euros.
*** Translated by the DEFCONPress FYI team ***