The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war has witnessed a significant escalation in drone warfare, with Russia employing increasingly sophisticated tactics to target Ukrainian cities. In a recent attack, swarms of Russian kamikaze drones broke through Ukrainian air defense fire, causing widespread damage and casualties in Kyiv and Odesa.
Oleksandra Yaremchuk, a 38-year-old bank clerk in Kyiv, described the experience of hearing the drones overhead as “the sound of death” that makes her feel “helpless and panicky”. She recalled a sleepless night in her apartment, where she had previously crisscrossed duct tape over her windows to avoid being hit by glass shards. “This time I heard it in stereo and in Dolby surround,” she quipped.
According to Andrey Pronin, one of Ukraine’s drone warfare pioneers, Russia’s drones have been evolving, with the use of massiveness being a key tactic. “The drones have been evolving for a while, now [the Russians] use massiveness,” he said. Pronin noted that the Russians “learn, every time, after each flight” and adjust their tactics accordingly. They have started flying drones in threes, whereas previously they flew in twos.
Nikolay Mitrokhin, a researcher with Germany’s Bremen University, identified three factors contributing to the efficiency of recent drone attacks:
- Increased Number of Drones: The number of Russian drones has risen dramatically, requiring more air defense power and ammunition.
- Advanced Drone Capabilities: Geran drones can fly over five kilometers above the ground, making them unreachable to firearms and many surface-to-air missiles. These drones have a range of 900km and are linked to their operators via satellite or hacked SIM cards.
- Decoy Drones: Russia uses decoy drones to waste air defense ammunition, further exhausting Ukraine’s defense systems.
Mitrokhin emphasized that Ukraine needs to adapt its strategy to counter the drone attacks. “Ukraine needs massive amounts of drones that could quickly gain the height of five to six kilometers, locate flying Gerans and their analogues and shoot them down,” he said. Ukrainian forces have focused on long-distance strike drones, but Mitrokhin believes they need to shift their focus to producing high-flying drone hunters.
The Russia-Ukraine war has triggered an evolution in drone warfare globally. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that the US believes a negotiated peaceful settlement is in the best interest of both parties. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that Russia’s attacks “drown out the efforts of the United States and others around the world to force Russia into peace”.