Eyes in the Sky: Drone Warfare and the Ukrainian Fight for Survival
Senior Associate Copy Editor
The war in Ukraine has become a macabre exhibition of modern warfare, a brutal ballet of steel and fire played out on the global stage. Amidst the carnage, a new kind of warfare has taken center stage, one where the whirring of drones is as ominous as the roar of tanks. Drone warfare, once the domain of science fiction, has become a chilling reality, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the skies above Ukraine. From the grim determination of Ukrainian soldiers modifying hobby drones to drop grenades on entrenched Russian troops to the chilling effectiveness of purpose-built combat drones obliterating tanks with impunity, the conflict has underscored the decisive role unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) now play in modern warfare. In this conflict, where every inch of ground is fiercely contested, the side that wins the drone war may well determine the fate of a nation.
Ukrainian forces are deploying a new class of heavy FPV (First Person View) drones capable of carrying 5-kilogram warheads, signaling a significant escalation in their drone warfare capabilities.
The ingenuity and adaptability of Ukrainian forces are evident in their use of a Yak-52 trainer aircraft to hunt and destroy Russian drones with a shotgun.
The war has extended beyond the front lines, with Ukrainian drones striking targets within Russian territory, as seen in the attack on a Russian military vehicle outside a shopping center.
The effectiveness of drone strikes in urban environments is highlighted by the targeting of Russian soldiers taking refuge in a factory in the city of Volchansk.
Ukrainian forces are employing sophisticated tactics, using drones to establish kill zones, as demonstrated in the engagement at Kalinivka, showcasing their growing expertise in drone warfare.
The videos we’ll examine offer a stark glimpse into this new era of warfare. The increasing sophistication and lethality of the drones deployed by both sides, coupled with the Ukrainians’ demonstrated ability to innovate and adapt, suggest that the coming weeks will see an intensification of drone warfare. We can expect to see larger, more heavily armed drones deployed, along with countermeasures aimed at neutralizing the enemy’s drone capabilities. The battle for the skies above Ukraine is far from over. It is a chilling harbinger of the future of warfare, a future where the line between virtual and real becomes increasingly blurred, and where the stakes are measured in human lives.
Scroll down to view the highlighted videos and gain a deeper understanding of the evolving nature of drone warfare in this conflict.
Drone Footage from the last 24 hours
04 Jul: Tactical Genius. Ukrainians Create A KILL ZONE IN KALYNIVKA | War in Ukraine ExplainedReporting from Ukraine248,917 views | 24,464 | July 5 2024 04:45:00 (405 comments)[ Read more … ]
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Today there are a lot of updates from the Bakhmut direction.
The most interesting updates come from the northern flank of Chasiv Yar. Here, the Russians intensified their assaults towards Kalynivka to directly attack the center of Chasiv Yar from the north. However, the Ukrainians were readily awaiting these assaults, and so the Russians failed to advance and incurred losses so serious that they had to halt their attacks altogether and make an operational pause.
The goal of the Russian forces is to establish control over Kalynivka to utilize the canal crossing for further assaults on Chasiv Yar. If the Russians effectively exploit this advance, they would avoid crossing the canal from the Kanal district. Instead, attacking the town center from the northern crossing near Kalynivka could prove more efficient.
The Russian assaults on Kalynivka were preceded by an intense artillery barrage, augmented by glide bomb strikes, resulting in the destruction of most of the village. With no buildings left to use as firing positions, Ukrainian fighters withdrew to more favorable positions west of the canal. Subsequently, Russian troops advanced along Lisova Street, reaching the canal crossing.
Destroying all buildings in eastern Kalynivka proved to be a double-edged sword for the Russians. The destruction eliminated any possibility of concealing and protecting their troops from Ukrainian artillery, tank, and drone strikes. As a result, Russian forces were forced to move across open areas, leading to their rapid destruction.
Another video shows a Russian BMP loaded with infantry being hit at the ammo rack, resulting in a devastating explosion that killed everyone on board. The detonation was so severe that three other nearby vehicles in the column were also damaged by the blast and subsequently abandoned, with most of the troops killed. The only survivor among the Russian stormtroopers suffered severe burns over his body and subsequently lost consciousness. The original, uncensored footage of these operations can be found on our telegram channel through the link in the description.
Due to significant losses with little to no gains, Russian army morale in this area is very low. This has led the Russian command to set up barrier troops to kill deserters or capture them and send them back to the deadly frontline positions. Facing a shortage of motivated personnel and struggling to command mostly demotivated troops, Russian commanders deploy only small groups of infantry for assaults. Another reason for this tactic is the heavy losses in equipment and troops during larger assaults, where Russian forces lose between forty and seventy percent of their equipment. Ukrainian fighters in the area are using up to fifty drones daily to hit twenty-five Russian targets, primarily targeting Russian armored assault formations attempting to advance.
A Russian Storm-Z instructor claimed that Russian forces made their most significant gains in Chasiv Yar, Avdiivka, and Ocheretyne through attritional frontal assaults, air strikes, and artillery, without any advances on the flanks. These assaults resulted in the loss of a significant number of armored vehicles during intensified mechanized operations.
Deputy Head of the Presidential Office, Roman Mashovets, stated that the number of available tanks for Russian forces in the Chasiv Yar, Siversk, and Kurakhove directions has significantly decreased to six hundred and fifty tanks. He also noted that the number of combat-ready armored fighting vehicles is now just one thousand eight hundred and fifty. For context, Russians have lost over fifteen thousand armored vehicles and eight thousand tanks since the start of the war, with around a dozen of each lost daily. This indicates that the current assault force can only last for a few months before being exhausted and withdrawn from battle.
Russian sources reported that Russian infantry are essentially forced to conduct dismounted assaults west of Bakhmut despite heavy Ukrainian drone operations. Some Russian infantry only receive a week and a half of training before deploying to Bakhmut, contributing to significant Russian losses…
Ukrainian new heavy FPV drones with enhanced warheads will be “nightmare” for RussiansKanal13210,650 views | 1,516 | July 4 2024 11:52:27 (55 comments)[ Read more … ]
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The Ukrainian military has begun using a new model of a heavy FPV attack drone capable of carrying a 5-kilogram warhead. The footage of the drone’s use was released by the Terra unit.
According to military media outlet, heavy FPV drones with a 6-motor design were spotted in service with the 3rd Assault Brigade, or rather, its Terra attack drone unit.
The addition of two extra motors allowed the drones to carry a warhead weighing up to 5 kilograms, significantly increasing their destructive potential.
According to the unit commander with the call sign “Abdullah,” the main purpose of the heavy drones is to destroy enemy fortifications, dugouts and buildings where enemy infantry is holed up.
Indeed, in the released video, these drones are used primarily to drive enemy manpower out of buildings and closed fortifications.
In the episode about preparing drones for flight, where operators hang a warhead, they showed different types of munitions, including thermobaric and high-explosive fragmentation munitions weighing about 3 kilograms.
The combined tactics of using drones is also notable: the first drone, equipped with an explosive warhead, destroys the roof of a building, creating a “passage,” after which another drone with a thermobaric munition flies into it.
Terra’s fighters have launched a fundraiser for 100 heavy drones. In general, the military and philanthropists have been paying considerable attention to heavy attack FPV drones since the end of last year.
At that time, one of the most popular models was the Mammoth drone, developed by the Ukrainian company Escadrone. It had a classic 4-motor design and a 10-inch form factor.
The Mammoth was a serial record holder for a long time, as it could carry up to 4 kg of payload. With such a warhead, the drone can cover a distance of 12 kilometers. However, with a smaller warhead of 1.5 kg, the maximum distance increased to 30 km.
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Tags: #Ukriane, #Russia, #Putin, #Putler, #Russian invasion of Ukraine, #Zelenski, #Kiev, #Kyiv, #Kadirov army, #Kadirov, #Kherson, #Bucha, #Kharkiv, #Ukrainian pilots, #vagners, #Russian tanks, #NATO, #drones, #Moscow, #Kreml, #war victims #Ukraina, News, The Washington Post, waPo Video, Washington Post Video, Washington Post YouTube, a:politics, aid, biden, putin, s:Politics, support, t:Other, Ukraine, war, fact check, news coverage, Donald Trump, news, wp video, forbes, nytimes, newspaper, media, journalism, Ilham Aliyev, Baku, Azerbaijan, Israel, Gaza, Palestine, Tel-Aviv, Garabag, Karabakh, football, ronaldo, messi, brian tyler cohen
Ukrainians in Yak-52 shoot Russian drones with a shotgunKanal1335,184 views | 701 | July 2 2024 18:15:07 (41 comments)[ Read more … ]
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Ukrainian fighters in a Yak-52 propeller-driven World War I-era aircraft are hunting Russian drones, and this week added two more drones to their list of destroyed drones, Forbes reports.
“Video footage from a Russian drone that went viral showed two Ukrainian pilots shooting down their final target, the drone itself, from the open cockpit of their 1970s-era Yak-52 trainer. The Yak-52 and the Russian drone are just yards apart. A Yak-52 passenger in the back seat, rumored to be armed with a drone-killing shotgun, appears to be taking aim at the drone, possibly the same gun that made him famous,” the newspaper writes.
Earlier this month, a Russian blogger complained that the Yak-52 crew was “shooting at our UAVs like they were at a shooting gallery.” Others compared the tactics to fighting during the First World War.
Forbes recalls that back in mid-April, videos appeared on the Internet showing a Yak-52 colliding with a Russian Orlan UAV over the Kherson region and shooting it down. In early June, a similar video appeared online – this time filmed by Russians. It shows a Yak-52 shooting down a Russian ZALA reconnaissance drone.
In addition, photographs that appeared on social media on Tuesday showed kill marks on the side of the Yak-52: at least six Orlan and two ZALA drones.
“Video footage taken appears to show another pair of marks, suggesting Ukraine’s drone hunters have had a busy week,” Forbes writes.
When the first videos of the Yak-52 fighting against drones appeared, some observers suggested that the aircraft crew was firing at the drones from underwing cannons or missile launchers, Forbes writes.
At the same time, Italian aviation expert Davide Cenciotti noted that very few Yak-52s were ever modified to install underwing weapons. Therefore, one should not be surprised when it turned out that the Ukrainians fired a shotgun from the back seat of the plane, the publication writes.
“At a time when the Ukrainian Air Force is trying to preserve its most expensive surface-to-air missiles for the most dangerous Russian targets – ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as manned fighter-bombers delivering powerful bombing strikes – a guy with a gun on a slow propeller airplane is an inexpensive way to shoot down Russian drones far from the front line,” Forbes writes.
But that doesn’t mean it’s easy for the Ukrainians – both the Yak-52 pilot and the rear-seat gunner must be skilled and patient to accurately target the small drone. In all of the recent air clashes, the Yak-52 pilot apparently maneuvered within tens of meters of his target before the rear-seat gunman opened fire.
Earlier it was reported that in Odessa, the Orlan-10 was destroyed from a training Yak-52 . Analysts noted that the fact of their use indicates a shortage of anti-aircraft systems and missiles, which is only now beginning to be corrected thanks to the unblocking of US support.
Recently, photos of a Yak-52 aircraft were posted in the public domain, based on which one can conclude that its crew destroyed six Orlan-10 reconnaissance UAVs and two Russian-made Zala drones.
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Tags: #Ukriane, #Russia, #Putin, #Putler, #Russian invasion of Ukraine, #Zelenski, #Kiev, #Kyiv, #Kadirov army, #Kadirov, #Kherson, #Bucha, #Kharkiv, #Ukrainian pilots, #vagners, #Russian tanks, #NATO, #drones, #Moscow, #Kreml, #war victims #Ukraina, News, The Washington Post, waPo Video, Washington Post Video, Washington Post YouTube, a:politics, aid, biden, putin, s:Politics, support, t:Other, Ukraine, war, fact check, news coverage, Donald Trump, news, wp video, forbes, nytimes, newspaper, media, journalism, Ilham Aliyev, Baku, Azerbaijan, Israel, Gaza, Palestine, Tel-Aviv, Garabag, Karabakh, football, ronaldo, messi, brian tyler cohen
Ukrainian drone struck Russian military vehicle in front of shopping center in Russian territoryKanal1334,309 views | 839 | July 2 2024 16:47:37 (110 comments)[ Read more … ]
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Ukrainian drone struck Russian military vehicle in front of shopping center in Russian territory
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Tags: #Ukriane, #Russia, #Putin, #Putler, #Russian invasion of Ukraine, #Zelenski, #Kiev, #Kyiv, #Kadirov army, #Kadirov, #Kherson, #Bucha, #Kharkiv, #Ukrainian pilots, #vagners, #Russian tanks, #NATO, #drones, #Moscow, #Kreml, #war victims #Ukraina, News, The Washington Post, waPo Video, Washington Post Video, Washington Post YouTube, a:politics, aid, biden, putin, s:Politics, support, t:Other, Ukraine, war, fact check, news coverage, Donald Trump, news, wp video, forbes, nytimes, newspaper, media, journalism, Ilham Aliyev, Baku, Azerbaijan, Israel, Gaza, Palestine, Tel-Aviv, Garabag, Karabakh, football, ronaldo, messi, brian tyler cohen
Russian soldiers hiding in a factory in city of Volchansk were hit by drone strikesKanal1345,650 views | 1,019 | July 2 2024 12:56:45 (43 comments)[ Read more … ]
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Aerial scouts of the “Murchyki” unit of the 57th brigade under the Ukrainian armed forces have intercepted and struck a group of Russian invaders at the Aggregate plant in Volchansk city in Kharkiv region. All of the invaders in the area were killed by the kamikaze drone attack.
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Tags: #Ukriane, #Russia, #Putin, #Putler, #Russian invasion of Ukraine, #Zelenski, #Kiev, #Kyiv, #Kadirov army, #Kadirov, #Kherson, #Bucha, #Kharkiv, #Ukrainian pilots, #vagners, #Russian tanks, #NATO, #drones, #Moscow, #Kreml, #war victims #Ukraina, News, The Washington Post, waPo Video, Washington Post Video, Washington Post YouTube, a:politics, aid, biden, putin, s:Politics, support, t:Other, Ukraine, war, fact check, news coverage, Donald Trump, news, wp video, forbes, nytimes, newspaper, media, journalism, Ilham Aliyev, Baku, Azerbaijan, Israel, Gaza, Palestine, Tel-Aviv, Garabag, Karabakh, football, ronaldo, messi, brian tyler cohen
Giant Russian Tank Spins Out of Control After Drone Attack – Caught on CameraDark Footage48,597 views | 1,720 | July 4 2024 16:15:02 (141 comments)[ Read more … ]
In May 2024, an unsettling malfunction struck the T-90, Russia’s premier main battle tank.
Dubbed the ‘best tank in the world’ by Russian President Vladimir Putin, this advanced war machine faced an unexpected reality on the battlefield when, during clashes in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, the T-90 was struck.
After being hit from the front, then shockingly from above by a drone, captured on camera, a T-90’s turret suddenly started to spin out of control.
With its turret whirling, the add-on metal cage and anti-drone nets fail, leaving the crew helpless and forcing them to flee on foot. This incident, quickly spreading online, sparks debate: some see it as a sign of overcoming weaknesses, others as a glaring indication that even the mightiest are not invulnerable.
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