In the dense Serebryanskiy forest in eastern Ukraine’s Luhansk region, Ukrainian drone operators have equipped small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with net launchers that can intercept Russian drones flying above the battlefield.
The unorthodox defense has helped neutralize Russian attacks and offers infantry life-saving protection, according to soldiers from a unit that spoke to RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service.
The forest is located in the final sliver of Luhansk that is still under Ukrainian control.
Soldiers from the Pomsta brigade, whose name contains the word that means “revenge” in Ukrainian, said the net-firing system helps defend against relentless Russian drone attacks.
“A net is the most effective way to down a drone,” said one soldier who goes by the call sign Armani. “Our crew downed 100 drones in five weeks.”
Video footage shared by the soldiers shows the nets halting drones poised above wounded Ukrainian infantry, preventing attacks and stopping reconnaissance of their positions.
“This video shows a [drone] used to save a wounded soldier by taking down an enemy drone hovering over him. In the next video, a [Russian] drone over another soldier is taken down. So, the [Ukrainian] drone operator saved two lives,” Armani said.
This ad hoc tactic is one of numerous innovations in response to intensifying drone strikes across Ukraine. Armani said he hopes the low-cost solution will cause tactical setbacks and financial strain for Russian units.
“A DJI-Mavic drone for daytime operations costs about $1,700. One used during nighttime operations costs twice as much. The loss of equipment worth $230,000 every month is significant for [Russian forces],” he said.
The war in Ukraine has ushered in a radically different era of drone warfare, one built not around a few elite systems but around millions of small, cheap, expendable drones deployed by soldiers at the front.
Both sides have ramped up domestic drone production this year. Many cost only a few hundred dollars to make. New anti-drone systems, like net-firing UAV interceptors, have become an increasingly vital weapon as fighting continues to evolve.
Armani, who was once a frontline soldier in Ukraine’s infantry, said the unit was planning to help produce more drone pilots to meet the rising demand.
“We are training other drone operators to scale up this technology because the infantry needs it in many parts of the front line. The more anti-drone systems there are, the better it will be for our soldiers.”
In the Serebryanskiy forest, and elsewhere across the country, Ukraine is looking for new solutions as it braces for Russian forces to launch more drone onslaughts on the battlefield and against Ukrainian cities.
