Drones have since played a leading role degrading Russian firepower as part of Ukraine’s southern counter-offensive in the Zaporizhia region. But though Ukraine initially enjoyed total dominance in this new class of drones, Russians are catching up. The first Russian FPV drones appeared by July, and are now harassing Ukrainian units along the front lines. Ukraine is also hampered by the fact its drones are still largely assembled and paid for by volunteers. Command structures are similarly anarchic with freelance drone operators, brigade drones, secret services and others operating in the same areas. Meanwhile Russia has clear superiority when it comes to more expensive classes of drones, such as high-powered reconnaissance drones.
In mid-October, a Ukrainian pilot set a 22km record for the distance at which he incapacitated a Russian tank, 18km behind the front line. His commander says the Russians have imposed a 10km no-tank zone behind the front, dramatically decreasing the value of such weapons.
The Russians are learning “from their mistakes…and from ours,” says Hummer. Earlier in the summer, some units began to equip higher-value assets like tanks and artillery with jamming boxes, which create high-energy fields around an object so that signals from around it simply stop working. Attacking such equipment, without video feedback, is a difficult if not impossible task. Ukrainian units by and large don’t yet have the same technology.
The rainy season, and a new Russian operation around Avdiivka in the east, seem set to place a semi-colon—if not a full stop—on the counter-offensive. Since beginning operations in June, the Ukrainians have moved just 12km from their original positions. They remain a full 17 km away from their most immediate target of Tokmak, a strategic railway hub on the way to the Azov Sea. Minefields and multi-level trench networks mean it would require a miracle for them to reach Tokmak before the winter
Jos jotain positiivista, niin häirintä-boksit ilmeisesti toimivat, niitä vaan pitäisi saada myös Ukrainan ajoneuvoihin.