Russians in despair as Ukrainian drones dominate the battlefield

Since the beginning of summer, Russians have been using wave infantry attacks with rare support from tanks and armored personnel carriers on most front sectors. The Ukrainians first break the attack with strong artillery strikes, and then drone operators hunt down individual soldiers.

Even during breaks between assaults, drone units remain active, flying sweep missions. Operators hover above the front line and its immediate rear, searching for moving or hiding Russian soldiers. The number of operating drones is growing exponentially.

Kyiv has expanded drone forces into battalions and regiments comprising about 900-1000 soldiers. These are often self-sufficient units with their own technical support, motor pool, support companies, and logistics. They have become a formidable military force and, above all, a psychological tool that effectively undermines Russian morale.

The Ukrainians extensively use FPV (First-Person View) drones due to their low production costs, ease of operation, and relatively long loiter time. This allows them to fly over a chosen area for several hours and wait for a suitable target. They are particularly effective, especially when compared to the cost of a single artillery shell. Eliminating enemy personnel using drones is much cheaper and simpler.

For a year and a half, primarily mobilized reservists from Russia—poorly trained, demoralized, and not very eager to fight—have arrived at the front. The Ukrainians focused on them, initiating literal hunts for individual soldiers to instill a continuous state of threat in the Russians and force them deeper into the ground.

The tactic of psychological attrition is known from the trench warfare of the Western Front during the Great War. Over 100 years ago, soldiers were hunted by snipers, artillery, and heavy machine gunners. Soldiers had to hide in trenches where life was concentrated.

Nowadays, not even trenches are safe. Drones with suspended grenades roam the lines. This strategy is intended to make Russians feel like they are always in the crosshairs of Ukrainians and to discourage them from fighting.

This approach works quite well, considering statements from prisoners of war. Mobilized soldiers cannot withstand the constant state of threat mentally, sometimes to the point of committing suicide at the mere sight of an approaching drone.

Several such incidents have been recorded. One of the most well-known occurred in May 2023, when, near Bakhmut, a soldier injured by a drone blew himself up with a grenade at the sight of another approaching drone. Another soldier shot himself.

Russian soldiers often panic at the sight of a drone. Sometimes they attempt to shoot down FPV drones using sticks, brooms, or stones. In most cases, these methods are ineffective, and Russian units are not widely equipped with anti-drone gear.

Anti-drone equipment, such as directional emitters like those produced by the Polish company Hertz, sends an electromagnetic pulse with a range of 2-3 miles, cutting off communication with the operator. The simpler the system being neutralized, the greater the range. Once intercepted, small drones can be forced to land and be captured. This equipment is sorely lacking on the Russian front.

Instead, Russians train their soldiers on how to evade drones by dodging, similar to the game of dodgeball. Tests of this solution showed that dodging is ineffective, and all soldiers were hit.

This tactic also fails on the front for many reasons. Firstly, in the chaos of war, it is very difficult to hear a drone. When I was twice in Kherson, spotting a drone was easier than hearing it. They were seen very often, usually from a short distance. Ukrainian soldiers, who were our guides, only pointed them out. Fortunately, they were Ukrainian reconnaissance drones patrolling travel routes.

Secondly, drones' high maneuverability and the wide range of payloads they can carry—from mortar grenades to hand grenades and kamikaze drones with impact fuses—make them exceptionally versatile.

As a result, Russians resort to all means. Lt. Anastasia Blyshchyk, the spokeswoman for the 47th Independent Mechanized Brigade fighting near Pokrovsk, noted that enemies often pretend to be dead or use their fallen comrades as shields.

Lt. Blyshchyk states, "Everything is littered with Russian corpses. It's summer, everything stinks, and they lie next to them, pretending to be dead. Or even cover themselves with these bodies!"

This is why the Russians fear FPV attacks so hysterically. Ukrainian drones are beginning to be mythologized by soldiers. In Zaporizhzhia, soldiers of the Chechen 141st Special Motorized Regiment stated that Ukrainians have special drones with claws to capture Russian soldiers.

The Chechens believe that Ukrainians specifically hunt soldiers at night to hide their method of capture. The problem is that multi-rotor drones with a payload exceeding 330 lbs would have to be large, loud, and easily noticeable. Additionally, Ukrainians do not possess such drones. But this does not prevent the Chechens from spinning their theories.

The Ukrainians, on the other hand, do not dispel this myth in any way. Russians' perception of drones plays into their hands. In war, psychological victory is extremely important. At least in this aspect, Ukrainians are winning.