The kill zone grows every month due to the intensity of drone flights and the depth of strikes. But drones not only create this zone but also make it possible for soldiers to remain in it.
The Donbas Realii project of Radio Svoboda’s Ukrainian service this time explores how large multicopters have become an indispensable part not only of Ukraine’s defense against Russian advances but also an element of supply for Ukrainian units in the most difficult directions.
It is thanks to large multicopters that positions cut off from the main forces can be supplied. For example, supplies can first be sent to an NPR (forward supply point), and then, with the help of a large drone, delivered even further.
On the Russian side, this class of UAV has received the general name "Baba Yaga" – because their missions mostly took place at night. Although now the pilots of these drones, risking their aircraft, conduct daytime missions almost daily – both strike and logistics.
What tasks are these drones currently performing? How is the Russian army fighting this threat, and has it created its own analogue? Watch the program below or read the text.
A large armored vehicle quickly pulls up to the roadside. The driver hasn't even had time to jump out before soldiers start reaching for packages tightly wrapped with duct tape – it's already planned in advance which positions these boxes will be delivered to today.
A soldier with the call sign "Tesak" – the driver of this armored vehicle – indicates how to load the items. They are stacked near the doors – side and rear – to be unloaded at the positions as quickly as possible.
There will be several stops today, and they don't plan to drive the vehicle into the danger zone unnecessarily. At the same time, Tesak briefs them on the trip.
"Unload as fast as possible. Because you'll be unloading through one door and plus more equipment and packages. Also, there will be a rotation. Do everything on command. Only on command. If I even say 'FPV' or 'wait,' we sit and hold on, do nothing. Until I say 'everyone out of the car,'" explains a soldier of the 101st Brigade of the General Staff's Guard clearly and loudly.
The vehicle races along the night highway – as fast as possible, as the driver warned. Before each sharp maneuver, he shouts to the passengers about his actions:
"Hold on, bridge with a turn!" he commands.
This night, the car is delivering to positions near Kostiaynivka. It is there that the 4th Battalion of the 101st Separate Brigade of the General Staff's Guard is holding the defense – this is currently one of the most difficult sections of the front in Donbas.
After dark, it’s just beginning
During stops, boxes are thrown out of the vehicle with lightning speed. All of them today are for several bomb drone crews – their work after dark is just beginning. Without these flights, it's almost impossible now, says "Moisha" – he came on duty today.
"We carry everything. For example, recently we set up a new position for 'Mavic operators' – we fully equipped it: mast, antennas, generator – it weighed 32 kg, Ecoflow," says the UAV operator of the 101st Brigade.
At this position, they fly a large Heavy Shot UAV. Due to the significant size of the drone, instead of bombing, they engage in logistics – it is too conspicuous. The longer the flight, the greater the likelihood of loss due to enemy FPV interceptors.
"As we see from interceptions – they hover at certain points and simply survey the area higher than we fly, let's say. Since the aircraft is not small, plus it has a thermal imaging camera – it's very hard not to notice it in good weather," explains Oleksandr, a soldier from the same brigade.
"Starlink-fliers" – a separate caste
While the soldiers prepare the aircraft for flight, a white antenna on the UAV catches the eye – this is an element of adaptation to an increasingly dangerous battlefield. This is Starlink satellite communication – thanks to it, the UAV is controlled from deep in the rear. There is also a remote control on the position, but rather just in case.
People still remain at the position – to prepare the drone for takeoff, replace batteries, and secure the cargo. But this innovation has made the work of at least part of the crew safer, says Oleksandr, looking at the aircraft before takeoff.
"The position is not exposed. Because when there is an antenna – an 8 m mast – it's obvious, and from the cables you can understand where the pilots are sitting... You can land with a load, place it. That is, water, gasoline – no longer break. And before, we dropped from 20-30 meters because then there was no picture. But now they land, put the package, the guys take it, and there is even an opportunity to hook something and send it back. Some radios for firmware, and so on. Drones for repair, enemy radios…" says the soldier.
Several dozen kilometers from the front, two pilots are already looking at monitors and briefly talking with the headquarters.
— We are flying to [ position name]. What about the f***-drones? — Not seeing any yet. — Plus, thank you.
A few minutes of flight, descent to the ground, a light click of the control button, and the cargo falls to the ground. This time, the package tumbles several times.
— Got it! — Oh you… — Fine, fine. Let's go, let's go, let's go!
"Just comfort and that's it. You sit in a bunker or some basement, but otherwise it's the same. The same remote controls, the same laptops. We work 3-4 days, then we drive to the position – those guys rest, come here. That's how it is. That it's safer here – of course. Thank God for Starlink," reflects a UAV pilot of the 101st Brigade with the call sign "Turbo".
The FPV chases across the field, sees a 'Vampire,' goes for a strike, and the drone doesn't reach its target and doesn't complete its mission
Mykhailo, heavy bomber operator
The use of Starlink on drones is now extremely popular in the Ukrainian Armed Forces – night bombers, reconnaissance and strike UAVs – even relatively inexpensive ones – operate on it. As well as ground and sea drones. Besides eliminating the need for large, easily noticeable antennas, satellite communication also allows flights in areas with suppression by electronic warfare means. Part of the manufacturers already offer satellite communication as a basic solution, the executive director of the weapons manufacturers' association "Ukrainian Arms Council" Ihor Fedirko tells Donbas Realii.
"This is essentially a whole separate caste – these are 'Starlink-fliers.' They are indeed a 'box solution.' It is far from new – I remember that as soon as the first Starlinks appeared, our engineers were already thinking about how to adapt it to systems they could use.
And with the advent of Starlink mini, when it became truly compact and did not lose quality of communication, it was a breakthrough. The problem [of use] is caused solely by the fact that it is an extremely resilient means of communication – with good quality, resolution, transmission, speed. Yes, there are certain delays, but still. And it does not require frequency hopping."
Mykhailo, who will spend the next few weeks at a position next to a night bomber, constantly has streams with video interceptions from enemy FPVs open on his laptop. The soldier spends a lot of time observing Russian flights.
"I'm glued to the interceptions – I'm interested in their tactics. There he is in some village on the interception. He detects vehicles. If he doesn't find anything – he will now f*** into a house or some parked old car," says the soldier of the 101st Brigade.
After a few minutes of observation, we see live on the screen a Russian FPV hitting a Ukrainian large copter – a Nemesis. Mykhailo calmly comments on the situation.
— Just the FPV chases across the field, sees a 'Vampire,' goes for a strike, and the drone doesn't reach its target and doesn't complete its mission. Every day – at least three aircraft. Mostly from neighboring units. And we have our losses, of course. — Has yours ever been shot down? — Yes, it has. A couple of days ago we lost a Nemesis aircraft.
Daytime missions for night 'bombers'
Although large drones are mostly spoken of as nocturnal, this does not mean they do not perform tasks during the day. Andriy and Oleh have just returned with their Vampire from a mission – they delivered antennas and cables to positions.
"In fact, even a simple infantry movement can already involve the use of a 'bomber' during the day. Or if the [enemy] infantry has taken cover in some shelter. Since it carries a large munition – it allows either to destroy the shelter or to prevent its use as a shelter," explains Andriy, a UAV operator from the 100th Mechanized Brigade, about the cases in which they are ready to risk losing the aircraft.
Oleh, Andriy's comrade, says that earlier he felt a rush of adrenaline from dropping bombs on the enemy, but now he's used to it. Therefore, flights with parcels for comrades are much more important to him. They make up 75% of their crew's tasks. Another quarter – target engagement and mining of routes. Completing tasks is increasingly difficult due to FPV interceptors – only rarely do large UAVs survive their strike.
Finding the large bomber and the crew controlling it is target #1 for FPVs
UAV operator of the 101st Brigade, "Turbo"
"An FPV comes at me, but doesn't hit the center of the aircraft, but somewhere in the props themselves, and it turns out that I chewed it up – just an explosion in the air. 1-2 props are already gone, torn off, and the drone still returns home. Something like that. That's luck," recalls the Vampire operator.
Most of the time, FPV attacks on large strike copters end fatally for the latter. Andriy thinks a bit after the question about the number of lost UAVs.
— Probably… More than 30 drones have already been replaced. — What is now the normal lifespan for this type of drone? — 4-5 days. Or let's say – 4-5 operational nights.
About drone losses and the possibility of compensating them
Donbas Realii reviewed the interception videos of Ukrainian bomber drones of the most capable and equipped Russian UAV unit – the center of advanced unmanned technologies "Rubicon". During May, they published 742 episodes of such drone engagements in their social media. Other Russian units are also engaged in these interceptions, and they are also shot down by small arms from the ground. Therefore, the total number of losses may be slightly higher.
"We are target #1 because we can fly in with a big 'bimba,' deliver ammunition to the guys, bring provisions, so searching for the large 'bomber' and the crew controlling it is target #1 for FPVs. They destroy all those pickups, especially if they have data that a bomber crew is arriving. Everything flies there – FPVs, fiber optics…" shares the experience of a UAV operator of the 101st Brigade with the call sign "Turbo."
Monthly losses of this type of UAV, which now probably approach 1000 aircraft per month, can be covered purely from a production capacity perspective, says Ihor Fedirko.
It is wrong tactics and strategy – simply producing more than we lose. That is, we need to change approaches, change the tactics of use
Ihor Fedirko
"Even a thousand aircraft, even 10 thousand aircraft lost per year – that's absolutely not the production capacity that our manufacturers have," he says. "We have 'bombers' produced by more than 10 companies, and the top 3 companies can produce more than 100 thousand units per year. That is, we have enough production capacity. As always, we lack only money. Because we understand that this is just one nomenclature out of thousands that the military needs. We can say that, on average, across segments, and 'bombers' in particular, at least 70% is not purchased from the capabilities that could be. Conditionally speaking, in electronic warfare systems – that percentage is even higher."
These UAVs are not cheap. For example, the most widespread in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Vampire, was purchased this year by the charity fund "Come Back Alive" for 339 thousand hryvnias – almost 7700 dollars. Aircraft can be more expensive depending on configuration. Overall, there are many manufacturers with their drones – "Kazhan", Perun, Lasar, Heavy Shot, and others – they have different sizes, number of engines, but all are capable of carrying significant weight over many kilometers, and in conditions of an expanding kill zone – this is one of the possibilities for supplying positions on the front line and in the near rear.
"To be honest, the first drones – there were still some emotions. Since it's a large 'bomber,' it's an expensive thing. But after the [loss of] the first three or four, the only emotions are – an unfulfilled task. That you didn't help the guys, didn't achieve some engagement. The loss of a drone is just a tool. A tool with which we wage this war," says the Vampire UAV operator of the 100th Mechanized Brigade, Andriy.
Assemble one from two or three
In one of the workshops of the 28th Mechanized Brigade, large drones stand on long wooden shelves. Some – visually intact and require re-flashing of software. On others, the consequences of impact are clearly visible – a carbon frame with traces of burning or just the remains of a drone with boards and wires hanging from it.
"Usually, after a direct hit by an FPV into the aircraft, nothing returns. It's a height of 100 to 200 meters, on average. Usually, the aircraft are completely destroyed because all heavy 'bombers' have capacitive batteries – i.e., accumulators. They burn beautifully, it's practically impossible to extinguish them, and in the best case, if the impact occurs on the ground, it's possible to save the camera, the GPS antenna," says a serviceman of the 28th Mechanized Brigade Ruslan.
He has just finished cutting metal niches with a "grinder" on one of the drones. He does this so that universal batteries can be installed on the aircraft – thus increasing its flight range.
The situation with available aircraft for daily missions varies from unit to unit – somewhere they receive a new drone immediately after losing the previous one, somewhere they already feel a shortage, so repair and restoration of such UAVs is becoming increasingly important.
Ruslan says – damaged drones are, if possible, evacuated from the battlefield – from two or three you can assemble one.
"The enemy has more interceptors, and we, with the increase in use, have fewer. Because all units are using heavy 'bombers'. I'm not sure that manufacturers can meet such a huge demand for heavy 'bombers,' and they perform extremely diverse tasks – both logistics and engagement. That is, this is a direction worth developing and scaling up," believes Ruslan.
"It's not a question of covering losses. But it's wrong tactics and strategy – simply producing more than we lose. That is, we need to change approaches, change the tactics of use. In a direct sense, everything depends on the tactics of use and the training of the pilots who control them," says Ihor Fedirko.
He adds – to be able to compete for the US and European markets, Ukrainian manufacturers are consistently increasing the share of Ukrainian parts in drones – i.e., abandoning Chinese components. The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine also prefers products that are localized by more than 50%.
"What I see now – from 65 to 75% of our drones are already fully locally assembled. However, partial or significant dependence on electric motors remains. Unfortunately, our manufacturers who currently produce electric motors cannot cope with the level of orders on the domestic market. [...] Further, again, batteries, as we know, there is dependence. And, of course, communication systems such as Starlink, Silvus, and others. We still purchase them. But everything from propellers, microchips, flight controllers, controllers, frames – all done in Ukraine. Antennas – a huge number."
Russian attempts to create their own 'Baba Yaga'
On the Russian side, the use of heavy copters has remained limited for a long time – for example, they flew and are flying on repaired Ukrainian Vampires after crash and use their own products – such as the "Mangas," but not as massively as on the Ukrainian side. Russian military instructor and participant in the war in Donbas Sviatoslav Holikov wrote in his Telegram that Russia's lag in this area occurred due to centralization and inefficiency of the Russian military bureaucracy.
"Since the fall of last year, supplies of analogues of 'Vampires' have been slowly and sadly crawling, which are Chinese-made devices or assembly with a screwdriver from Chinese components. Alternative options from engineering projects also reach the troops, but these projects do not have real significant budgets for ensuring sensitive massive deliveries. As a result, there is still no talk of any massive saturation of our active army with heavy drones, the lag behind the enemy in quantitative terms is multiple," he noted.
Meanwhile, on the Ukrainian side, a new role for large drones on the battlefield is being sought. Since the end of last year, public discussions have emerged about using large drones for aerial evacuation of the wounded – in particular, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi mentioned this prospect in an interview. Tests have already taken place, says Ihor Fedirko. But the drones are extremely large and noisy.
"This idea was borrowed from logging, " he notes. "There are huge drones that engage in automated logging in hard-to-reach places. And they can lift enormous loads. I have not seen systematic or mass production of such systems, and as far as I know, few people will take such responsibility, especially in the kill zone, to evacuate in this way."
Large copters are just one of the combat elements of the Ukrainian army. As of now – already an integral one, which destroys various targets and supplies people where no one else can. For a long time, such drones have been and remain Ukraine's advantage. But over time, on the Russian side, the same UAVs may also become massive. Therefore, it is necessary not only to seek protection for one's own aircraft but also to adopt the Russian tactics of shooting down Ukrainian drones.
