That drones are being used in the war in Ukraine is not new. However, everything suggests that these devices will become even more crucial for the future of the conflictespecially as winter approaches, which complicates the landscape of combat on the ground.
Both Russia and Ukraine are taking advantage of unmanned vehicles to inflict damage on the enemy. But the Ukrainian side seems to be the one that is getting the most out of them. To the point that, during the weekend, an attack with aquatic drones to the Russian fleet in the Black Sea led Vladimir Putin to suspend his involvement in the deal to allow ships loaded with Ukrainian grain safe passage.
Although the Kremlin reversed this determination and today announced its return to the agreement, it was not before the Ukrainians guaranteed that they would not use the protected corridor to launch new attacks against their Navy. The truth is Drones Are Redefining Ukraine’s War Landscapeand will be essential for the coming months, considering that the conflict has everything to continue indefinitely.
Ukraine turns to drones to counter Russian firepower during war
According to the United States and Ukraine, the Russian fleet in the Black Sea is key to Putin because it is the one in charge of the Kalibr cruise missile attacks. Of course, the Ukrainian forces do not have the same firepower, but they have found a more than effective response in drones.
Earlier this week, the Mykhailo FedorovMinister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, speak about the initiative to create a “drone army”, one of the main priorities of his area in the midst of war. In fact, he mentioned that bought 1,033 unmanned vehicleswith an investment valued at 2,000 million hryvnias (just over 54 million dollars).
The official assured that they have already received 70% of the drones purchased, and that they will receive the rest by the end of the year. In addition, he indicated that they will soon receive reconnaissance and attack models such as FlyEye Y warmateof the Polish firm WB Group, and the Cougar Y Penguin of the American companies AeroVironment and Edge Autonomy.
But Ukraine does not devalue the national drones, which have also been transcendental in the war. “Today it can be difficult to find large batches of certain components to produce from 100 drones a month. […] Although for Ukrainian growers, today the problems are planning and financing.
But in recent weeks we have seen such interaction between the Ministry of Defense and the manufacturers, that there is hope that by next year we will have a boom in the production of drones in Ukraine. Currently, the budget to buy drones from our manufacturers is open. They understand how many contracts they can get and for how much money, and almost all of them are getting the funds quickly enough,” Fedorov explained.
Unmanned vehicles for a conflict that will not end soon
Russia is also not far behind when it comes to the use of drones in the war in Ukraine. Vladimir Putin’s troops have leaned towards the Geran-2, described as “suicide drones” by the press that closely follows the conflict. However, international sanctions are hitting Russian production lines hard, making Moscow dependent on external suppliers. In fact, it is said that the Geran-2s are actually Shahed 136s developed by Iran.
When the war in Ukraine got underway, nobody imagined that drones would become such an important piece for the belligerents. What’s more, during the first weeks the analysis was more focused on hackers and combat in the digital field. But it is evident that the landscape has changed, and that unmanned vehicles have gained transcendental relevance. Let’s not forget that even companies like DJI stopped selling their drones on Russian and Ukrainian soil to prevent them from being weaponized.