What are fibre optic drones that Russia is using in Ukraine?

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6 days ago

Russia has sent tens of thousands of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to assail Ukraine since the war began. However, since 2024, Moscow has unleashed fibre optics first-person-view (FPV) drones to devastating effect, particularly in the Kursk region. How do these drones work? read more
Russia had sent thousands of drones to attack Ukraine since the beginning of the war. AP
Russia has been attacking Ukraine with drones ever since the war began in February 2022.
Moscow has sent tens of thousands of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to assail Kyiv.
While Ukraine has gotten very good at countering Russian UAVs, a new thread has emerged – fibre optic drones.
But what do we know about the drones? And how are they being used by Russia in Ukraine?
Let's take a closer look:
What do we know about these drones?
As per Kyiv Independent, fibre optics first-person-view (FPV) drones have been unleashed as Russia's latest weapon in Ukraine.
According to The War Zone, Russia first began using these drones in the spring of 2024.
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The fibre optics drones are essentially the same as UAVs.
However they come with one important difference – they navigate using ultra-thin glass cables.
Normal drones, on the other hand, rely on radio waves to communicate with the operator.
These drones cost around $1,200 (Rupees 1 lakh).
They can have a range from anywhere between 15 to 30 kilometers — depending on how sophisticated the equipment is.
According to the Washington Post, this small but important change makes fibre optic drones immune from being electronically intercepted.
'The video and control signal is transmitted to and from the drone through the cable, not through radio frequencies. This means it can't be jammed by electronic interceptors,' a soldier with the call sign Moderator, a drone engineer with the 68th Jaeger Brigade, told BBC.
It also allows the drone to capture the footage in perfect quality and frees the drone from being limited by the range of radio waves.
These fibre optic drones have a longer battery life, are more accurate and can navigate difficult range such as forest and city streets without ever losing touch with their operators.
An optical fibre from Russian FPV drones is seen on a road outside the frontline town of Kostiantynivka, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine,in Donetsk region. Reuters
'They're really great when you need to fly into some kind of building, like a large shed or hangar, to have a look inside if there is something there with the ability to strike it straight away,' Oleksandr 'Skhid,' an FPV drone team commander in Ukraine's Achilles Strike Drone Regiment, told Kyiv Independent. 'The same goes for other types of cover, and flying in forested areas.'
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Many Experts have marvelled at the simplicity of the idea.
As Dmytro Semkiv, an engineer working on the drones for Ukraine, told the Washington Post, sometimes 'genius ideas are really simple.'
How are they being used by Russia in Ukraine?
Russia is using these drones on an unprecedented scale in Ukraine.
The drones have become exceedingly efficient in destroying Ukrainian positions and supply lines.
Kyiv, thus far, has not been able to do much about them – especially when they are sent in large numbers used to overwhelm defensive forces.
' Russia started using fibre optic drones much before us, while we were still testing them. These drones can be used in places where we have to go lower than usual drones. We can even enter houses and look for targets inside,' Venia, a drone pilot with the 68th Jaeger Brigade, told BBC.
'We've started joking that maybe we should carry scissors to cut the cord,' says Serhii, the artilleryman.
Results have been particularly devastating in the Kursk area.
Russia 'had a huge advantage in Kursk due to the use of fibre-optic drones because they basically killed Ukraine's logistics,' one 24-year-old drone commander in Ukraine's 47th Brigade told the Washington Post.
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'Our logistics just collapsed; fibre optic drones were monitoring all routes, leaving no way to deliver ammunition or provisions,' Dmytro, a Ukrainian medic fighting out of the Russian town of Sudzha, told Kyiv Independent.
'Traveling there was even worse than playing Russian roulette — because in this case, the revolver has five bullets and only one empty chamber.'
But the attack isn't limited to the Kursk area alone.
Rodynske in Ukraine's Donetsk region is being assailed by Russian drones.
As per BBC, Ukrainian soldiers say that such drones remain over the targets for hours – just waiting until the perfect opportunity comes along to strike.
'When you enter a position, you don't know whether you've been spotted or not. And if you have been spotted, then you may already be living the last hours of your life,' says Oles, Chief Sergeant of the reconnaissance unit of the 5th Assault Brigade in Rodynske told the outlet.
Experts say it remains unknown what these drones and large scale-strikes cost Russia.
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'The cost of these large strikes is quite difficult to estimate in the open-source because Russia goes to great lengths to obfuscate the cost of the missiles and drones,' Angelica Evans, a Russia analyst with the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), told Kyiv Independent.
A serviceman of the 14th Assault Brigade Chervona Kalyna of the Ukrainian National Guard launches a Leleka reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for flying over positions of Russian troops, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the frontline town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk region, Ukraine. Reuters
'Particularly with the onset of western sanctions and Russia's many sanctions evasion schemes, it's difficult to know how much all of the various components in the projectiles really cost, let alone the cost of production itself.'
Ukraine is now racing to catch up with Russia.
'We haven't completely figured out fibre optic yet,' Skhid told Kyiv Independent. 'We have several different manufacturers, we are testing them continuously, we don't have a simple workflow.'
'This (2025) will be the year of fibre optic,' Kyrylo Veres, a prominent Ukrainian officer and commander of K-2, another one of the military's top drone regiments, predicted in March.
'But at the moment, it's being used effectively by about one in 10 Ukrainian drone units. When we reach a point where nine out of 10 are using it, and the rest are quickly catching up, then we will see some serious results.'
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With inputs from agencies