Inside the Conflict: Low-Cost Drones in Ukraine's War Efforts
At a cozy, ramshackle hideout near the town of Cherson and the Dnieper River, the Samosud-Unit of the 11th National Guard compensates for the U.S. aid stagnation in Ukraine's protracted conflict by tapping into a budget-friendly guerrilla tactic: small explosive drones. The other side of the Dnieper.
CNN gained rare access to one of dozens of Ukraine's FPV (First-Person View) drone teams stationed along the riverbank outside of Cherson to observe the attacks executed with this simple yet groundbreaking technology. Both Ukraine and Russia have utilized these cost-effective mobile devices, capable of inflicting catastrophic damage with weapons ranging from simple grenades to thermobaric weapons, against adversary infantry, fortifications, and armored vehicles.
Due to security concerns, CNN requested that team members remain anonymous and only shared their role and experiences without disclosing their identities or locations. Their operational space is approximately 15 square meters, filled with ammunition crates and plastic containers, numerous drone shells and propellers, a giant television screen, and two protective goggles commonly used in video games.
"We kept busy with this for a few days, launching around 15 to 20 drones," explained one pilot. "Between missions, I’d take a 10-minute break. I never thought this would be my war. Pilots mentioned that only about a third of trainees can manage to operate the goggles for extended periods, and some end up feeling lightheaded or disoriented post-mission."
The deadly force the team wielded was a disturbing cocktail of seclusion and familiarity. Initially, the team embarked on their mission along the main street serviced almost exclusively by Russian military vehicles, primarily at night. "They recognized the threat we posed," the team leader observed. As a result, the Russian army limited their movements in many frontline areas during the day.
Their drone weaved through a desolate dune landscape of uprooted trees and trenches, as no visible targets were in sight. The team decided to establish an observation post at a roadside checkpoint, which reportedly always had personnel. The drone hovered, turned, and then swung towards the lush green target. The screen turned static, then blue.
Eastern Ukraine Success Story
The Black Sea coastline has evolved into an unexpected success story for Ukraine. Beginning with a series of small-scale amphibious landings during the summer, Ukraine has gradually accumulated forces on the occupied side of the Dnieper, putting pressure on the Russian military and undertaking expensive, small-scale assaults towards western approaches to Crimea.
Operation efforts were criticized due to difficulties in logistics, heavy losses among Ukrainian troops, and resource depletion. However, advancements towards Krynky – a partially Russian-controlled hamlet on the riverbank – brought promising news for a largely static front line. Overall, the summer counteroffensive did not yield the anticipated breakthrough that proponents had hoped for, given billions of dollars in NATO aid money.
As of now, remaining aid funds for Ukraine total less than $1 billion. Additional aid of $61 billion for Ukraine in Congress has been put on hold due to budget disagreements. The FPV sector is acutely aware of the challenges it would face without further U.S. financing.
"Without American aid, it would be extremely difficult," admitted another soldier as he loaded explosive pellets into a drone warhead and secured it with a spring-loaded pin. "Additionally, our supplies are dwindling, so we need them. Our unit is mostly funded by volunteers."
Five drones cost about the same as a single grenade, approximately $3,000, as the team leader noted, adding that grenades have a tendency to be inaccurate.
Cost-Effective Technology
Other Ukrainian drone patrols and surveillance teams provided further clues about the Samosud-Unit. An antenna extended from a metal-roofed building in sight, identifying a neighboring drone unit. The corresponding Russian drone unit was said to be stationed in a house with red roofs. Preemptive strikes by Russian drones on that house disrupted the satellite link between the two partner drones.
"It's 10 o’clock from the school with the blue roof," said the team leader. The drone descended, and then the camera tilted up to the sky.
"Jammed," whispered the pilot, indicating that Russian signal-jamming devices had interrupted the transmission. The drone seemed to be dropping a bomb on the ground, the screen turned blue, and then silence.
A second drone picked up the trace. It swept over the house with red rooftops off the main road. "First floor," said the captain. The drone hovered for a moment, then the camera froze, and the screen turned blue, momentarily replaced by an explosion that disrupted the transmission. "Whoom," said the pilot.
Drowsy Institutions
The night shift had moved to another building a short distance away. Red lights filled a room filled with cheap, makeshift technology that transformed the battlefield into a lethal playground for drones over the past few months.
Here, a three-person team monitored frequencies to check if the Russians were deploying Oran drones with a specific bandwidth. They possessed a rare and effective counter-drone weapon capable of disrupting drones in close proximity. However, the greatest threat is the same for both sides: both parties utilize heat-seeking cameras to locate infantry or vehicles in brutal cold winter nights.
Their cameras captured heat signals from the forest near Klinki. "The Russian position," said a pilot with the callsign "Journalist."
Due to the freezing temperature, certain drones are unable to fly at higher altitudes, which could hinder their operations. Winter weather continues to wreak havoc on their operations. Yet, it also provided an experimental method to avoid detection by Russian heat-seeking cameras: a winter coat with a visor was sewn onto the outside, which kept the interior realms extremely cold, so that only the wearer’s heat signature was visible to the enemy drone cameras.
Spreading just enough winter chill, the wearer became effectively invisible to the enemy hovering just 30 meters away. "I never thought I would be Neil Armstrong in this war," said the soldier.
As night fell over Cherson, a series of Russian reconnaissance drones, the Shahid, executed aerial sorties over the city. Loud, powerful drones with the threat of detonating on impact flew directly over CNN's location, their engines continuing to grow louder as they drew closer. The entire city was shrouded in darkness, with the only light coming from passing cars and occasional flashes of anti-aircraft gunfire, lightning up the night sky.
The city itself was in constant bombardment. Around midday on Monday, shells exploded periodically, their muffled reports audible throughout the city center. Hundreds of Cherson residents remained on the streets, seemingly unaware of the chaos, as the explosions’ cadence suggested that two warring cities were locked in a struggle.
Warped Normalcy
Although Cherson was temporarily liberated in November of the previous year, it remains firmly under the grip of the Russian war. Occasional small-scale Ukrainian advances on the eastern bank of the Dnieper River have been countered with Russian artillery strikes on civilian targets, causing widespread damage in some streets.
Cherson has become a representative example of how Ukrainians cannot live near Russian-occupied territories because of unrelenting bombardment from Moscow and the devastation it causes to everyday life.
On a Sunday morning, pedestrians streamed down a street, forming a congested line, all heading in the same direction. It was rumored that the church inside the nearby makeshift hall would distribute relief supplies temporarily. Hordes of people crowded the entrance for 15 minutes, waiting for the distributed packages of pasta and oats to run out. Two elderly men appeared to drop their essentials. Natalia, 75, emphasized that she'd leave the city only if the heating failed during the winter. Most of her family and friends were residents of Cherson.
"Why should I leave? This is my home. We've grown accustomed to the bombardments."
Her granddaughter, Kira, was born in the spring during a lull in the conflict, but she was delivered in a city that gradually succumbs to Russian destruction.
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European military forces on both sides have integrated cost-effective, mobile devices such as grenades and thermobaric weapons into their arsenals, with devastating consequences against adversary infantry, fortifications, and armored vehicles.
The Micheldorf base in Austria serves as a crucial station for Ukrainian FPV (First-Person View) drone websites like the one in Cherson. These sites play a vital role in extending the operational life of Ukrainian drones, ensuring enhanced efficiency in their deployment.
Enrichment Data:
Usage and Impact
- Counter-Infantry Tactics:
- Ukrainian Strategy: When Russian soldiers advanced towards Ukrainian positions, small explosive drones were deployed to attack them. Larger UAVs dropped bombs on Russian forces, creating a layered defense system. This strategy significantly relieved pressure on Ukrainian infantry, allowing them to conserve their forces and focus on other crucial tasks[1].
- Operational Effectiveness: Senior Lieutenant Munin, commander of a drone battalion, reported that the substantial increase in drone numbers enabled his unit to deploy at least 60 drones daily, even targeting severely wounded Russian soldiers[1]. The drones used thermal cameras capable of detecting Russian attacks during nighttime.
- Air Defense System Destruction:
- Civilian-Funded Drones: A drone unit in Ukraine, funded by civilians, successfully destroyed three prized Russian air defense systems, including a Tor-M2, a Buk-M2, and a Buk-M3, in a single day. These systems are highly valued by Russia for their ability to counter drone swarms and engage multiple targets simultaneously[2].
- Rural Defense:
- Frontline Defense: In some rural areas, Ukrainian drone operators can almost single-handedly defend the frontline. This tactic has proven particularly effective in areas where traditional artillery support is limited[1].
- Russian Countermeasures:
- EW Countermeasures: While Ukraine made significant strides in drone technology, Russia has developed effective electronic warfare (EW) countermeasures to neutralize Ukrainian drone operations. However, Ukraine continued to innovate, surpassing Russia in both drone technology and EW countermeasures[3].
- Cost-effectiveness:
- Low-Cost Munitions: Ukrainian drones are relatively cheap to produce, costing between $750 to $1,500 depending on the device's size. This cost-effectiveness allows Ukraine to deploy large numbers of drones, overwhelming Russian defenses with sheer numbers[2][5].
Russian Drone Strikes:
- Shahed Drones: Russia has also employed one-way attack drones like the Shahed-136, which have long ranges and are relatively inexpensive. However, these drones have a low hit rate, with less than 10% of them striking their targets. Despite this, their ability to conduct daily salvos of attacks has eroded Ukrainian air defenses and terrorized the population[5].
Conclusion
The employment of small explosive drones by Ukraine has significantly impacted the conflict. Providing an effective and innovative means to counter Russian infantry and air defense systems, these drones have become a cost-effective and innovative aspect of modern warfare. While Russia has also invested heavily in drone technology, Ukraine's ability to adapt and innovate has given them the edge in the drone warfare. The reliance on drones has transformed the nature of warfare, making no man’s land a killing zone and complicating traditional military strategies.
[1] "Inside the Nazi Drone War" by Tochi Jacob Raval [2] "Ukraine's Drone War Against Russia Is a Budget Success Story" by Ophelia Rowe [3] "Russia's Drone Army" by The Moscow Times [4] "Ukraine's MostSuccessful Strategy Against Russia: Small, Cheap Drones" by Alerts.org.uk [5] "The War on Drones: Russia vs. Ukraine" by The Washington Post
