Latest news with #Dobropillia
South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Ukraine installs anti-drone nets over roads to protect frontline supply routes
A ravaged car with its engine destroyed and doors riddled with shrapnel lay on the side of the road near Dobropillia, a sleepy town not far from the front line in eastern Ukraine. Hit by a small, remote-controlled drone, the mangled chassis was a stark reminder of why Ukraine is hurrying to mount netting over supply routes behind the sprawling front line to thwart Russian aerial attacks. As Russia's invasion grinds through its fourth year, Moscow and Kyiv are both menacing each other's armies with swarms of cheap drones, easily found on the market and rigged with deadly explosives. Agence France-Presse reporters saw Ukrainian soldiers installing green nets on four-metre (13-foot) poles spanning kilometres of road in the eastern Donetsk region, where some of the war's most intense fighting has taken place. A shop hit by a Russian FPV explosive drone in the town of Dobropillia, in the eastern Donetsk region, Ukraine. Photo: AFP 'When a drone hits the net, it short-circuits and it cannot target vehicles,' said 27-year-old engineering brigade commander Denis, working under the blazing sun.
News.com.au
21 hours ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
Ukraine covers frontline roads with anti-drone nets
A ravaged car with its engine destroyed and doors riddled with shrapnel lay on the side of the road near Dobropillia, a sleepy town not far from the front line in eastern Ukraine. Hit by a small, remote-controlled drone, the mangled chassis was a stark reminder of why Ukraine is hurrying to mount netting over supply routes behind the sprawling front line to thwart Russian aerial attacks. As Russia's invasion grinds through its fourth year, Moscow and Kyiv are both menacing each other's armies with swarms of cheap drones, easily found on the market and rigged with deadly explosives. AFP reporters saw Ukrainian soldiers installing green nets on four-metre (13-foot) poles spanning kilometres (miles) of road in the eastern Donetsk region, where some of the war's most intense fighting has taken place. "When a drone hits the net, it short-circuits and it cannot target vehicles," said 27-year-old engineering brigade commander Denis, working under the blazing sun. - Threat from above - "We are shifting into a so-called drone war," Denis told AFP. FPV (first-person view) drones have already seriously wounded a few of his men. Some are armed with shotguns to shoot them down. The Russian army has also been deploying nets. "We weave nets like spiders! For extremely dangerous birds without feathers," the Russian defence ministry quoted a soldier with the call sign "Ares" as saying in April. An earlier article by pro-Kremlin media outlet Izvestia also showed soldiers mounting netting close to the front. - Everyone is in danger - Drones are also a worry for towns and cities. Since early July, the town of Dobropillia, around 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the front line, has become a target for Russian FPV drone attacks. During a recent visit to the civilian hub -- where some 28,000 people lived before the war -- AFP journalists saw residents on the streets rush for cover in shops when a drone began buzzing overhead. When the high-pitched whirring had died down and the threat disappeared, one woman exiting a shelter picked up her shopping bags and glanced upwards, returning to her routine. Every day, victims come to the small town's hospital. According to the hospital's director, Vadym Babkov, the enemy FPVs "spare neither medical workers nor civilians". As the roads "are not yet 100-percent covered" by nets, his ambulances have to take long detours, reducing the patients' chances of survival, the 60-year-old said. "We are all under threat," Babkov added. In Russia's Belgorod border region, which frequently comes under Ukrainian fire, authorities have retrofitted ambulances with metal anti-drone cages -- a technology once reserved for tanks and personnel carrier vehicles. - New habits - "Civilians have got used to it," Denis told AFP. Olga, a waitress in a small cafe and mini-market in Dobropillia, has devised her own way to cope with the constant drone threat. "When I drive and feel that a drone is going to attack me, I open all the windows to avoid glass shards hitting me," the 45-year-old told AFP. The atmosphere in the town had become "frightening", Olga said. The shop next to Olga's was recently hit by an FPV drone, leaving its owner in a coma. "Now we jump at every gust of wind," Olga said. "The day has passed -- thank God. The night has passed and we wake up with all our arms and legs intact -- thank God." Despite the roads constantly coming under attack, Olga still receives products to sell in her small cafe, since suppliers take detours along routes away from the front. But she doesn't know for how long. fv-asy/cad/gil
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Yahoo
Russian attack Donetsk Oblast, killing 2 and injuring 9 people
Russian troops killed two and injured nine people in Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad, Donetsk Oblast, on 6 June. Source: Donetsk Oblast Military Administration Details: In particular, one person was injured in Pokrovsk. It is specified that besides the deceased, five people were injured, and 13 buildings were damaged in Myrnohrad. One person was injured and a car was damaged in Novyi Donbas of the Dobropillia hromada. [A hromada is an administrative unit designating a village, several villages, or a town, and their adjacent territories – ed.]Aftermath of Russian attack on Donetsk Oblast Photo: Donetsk Oblast Military Administration Another person was injured in Siversk. In addition, one person was injured in Kostiantynivka and 13 buildings and cars were damaged. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
