The transformed nature of modern warfare is starkly evident to a weary Ukrainian platoon commander, medically evacuated from the front lines.
The skies above Ukraine now swarm with kamikaze, surveillance, bomber, and anti-drone UAVs.
These numerous, cheap, and deadly machines are considered by Kyiv to be a primary reason Ukraine can withstand advancing Russian forces this year and beyond, a view shared by a dozen Ukrainian commanders, officials, and arms manufacturers.
So pervasive are these remotely piloted unmanned aerial vehicles that Ukrainian soldiers refer to the roughly 10-kilometre corridor on either side of the contact line as the “kill zone,” where targets are swiftly spotted and neutralised by both sides.
The war’s evolution into the most drone-intensive conflict ever seen has eaten away at Russia’s ability to exploit its traditional advantages in troop numbers, artillery and tanks, according to two Ukrainian battlefield commanders interviewed.
Any large vehicle operating near the front is now an obvious target, meaning Russian forces can no longer make the kind of rapid advances they did in 2022 with columns of armoured vehicles, according to the commanders as well as the founder of OCHI, a system which centralises video feeds from over 15,000 Ukrainian military drone crews on the front lines.
“The enemy sees you completely,” OCHI’s Oleksandr Dmitriev added. “No matter where you go or what you are driving.”
Russia has consequently adapted its tactics, the Ukrainian battlefield commanders said; its forces now typically attack in small groups of five or six – on foot or on motorbikes or quad bikes – in an attempt expose Ukrainian positions by drawing their fire and then launching drone strikes at them, they added.
Russia’s defence ministry didn’t respond to a request for comment on this article.
Despite the changes in warfare, Russian forces retain the ascendancy and are making slow but steady advances in the east and north of Ukraine. Russia has also caught up in UAV technology after falling behind early in the war, according to military analysts, and like its enemy is churning out drones domestically at a rate of millions a year.
Meanwhile, European leaders are trying to parse President Donald Trump’s announcement this week that America would supply arms to Ukraine via NATO, with Europe picking up the bill. Many details remain unclear, including the types and quantity of weapons, how quickly they would be sent and precisely how they would be paid for, U.S. and European officials said this week.
The White House didn’t respond to queries on the supply plan. Spokeswoman Anna Kelly said the war had gone on too long and Trump wanted to end the killing, and so is selling U.S. arms to NATO for Ukraine and threatening hefty sanctions on Russia.
The people interviewed for this article, who were speaking before Trump’s weapons announcement, said they believed Ukraine could fight on and resist Russia even if no more U.S. aid was forthcoming, though they didn’t give precise timelines.
Many cited the primacy of drones as having levelled the field to some degree and made Ukraine more self-sufficient, and also pointed to growing military supplies from European allies.
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