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Russia Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
WATCH Russian war correspondent dodge Ukrainian suicide drone
Russian war correspondent Andrey Filatov on Saturday published dramatic video footage of him narrowly dodging a Ukrainian first-person-view (FPV) suicide drone that exploded just a few meters away from the journalist. The day before, multiple Ukrainian outlets reported that he went missing on the front lines of the conflict. On Saturday, Filatov published a video that showed him riding a motorcycle while being pursued by a Ukrainian suicide drone. When warned of an incoming UAV, he turns the motorbike aside and ducks as it whirrs past and explodes just a few meters ahead of him. According to the journalist, he was checking a radio interference blind spot along a Russian logistics route, which was created when an electronic jammer post along it was moved. This made the area vulnerable to Ukrainian radio-controlled drones. Russian war correspondent and drone specialist Andrey Filatov survives an extremely close call in the Pokrovsk direction '[Ukrainian forces] began to see further, and the road ended up in radio shadow,' he wrote in a Telegram post on Saturday. He rode too far ahead of his companions, who had a jamming unit mounted on their car, and had to 'dodge' the drone, Filatov explained. The development of jamming technology has made radio-controlled drones far less effective and has increasingly forced both sides in the Ukraine conflict to use optic cable-controlled UAVs. These drones are slower, but are entirely immune to radio interference. The area where Filatov was attacked is situated along the Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk) sector of the frontline, where Russian forces are advancing to encircle the major Ukrainian logistics hub city.
Times
4 days ago
- Times
‘Good work, guys. Surgical' — British guns rattle Russia
When the big gun booms, the earth shakes. The shockwave from the AS90 self-propelled howitzer is so strong it pulverises falling raindrops, sending a fine spray into the faces of the Ukrainian artillery crew as they launch a high explosive round towards the Russian trench line. 'Waiting…' a voice crackled over a radio, then: 'Fire, Fire!' Again the behemoth vehicle rocked back on its haunches. 'Load!' came the radio command. A Ukrainian loader sweated in the dugout as he fed the 45kg shells into 45 tonnes of British engineering. Another was setting the fuses, while inside the mobile howitzer, a gunner manoeuvred the cannon to the instructions from his commander. 'Aim point Azimuth [number]! Waiting … Fire, Fire!' The crew fired six rounds in quick succession, targeting five Russian soldiers in a trench, and after each shot making minor adjustments to their aim. Then, as quickly as they had taken their positions, the soldiers filed back into their bunker. An enemy 'FPV' [First Person View] suicide drone was hovering above, hunting for the crew's firing position. Its Russian operator was too late to save his comrades, but was no doubt looking to exact revenge. The crew of Ukraine's 2nd Self-Propelled Artillery Battery, Third Assault Brigade, hunkered down in their bunker under a tree line: eight men crowded into a cramped, muddy space big enough for only two bunkbeds and two desks. One soldier played back video from their own drone above the Russian lines, to show their work. • How Kyiv is grappling with Kremlin assassins on the home front 'That was our shot. We fired, and here is the impact,' said 'Bear', the radio operator, as he watched the blast strike a treeline in puffs of smoke. 'Look, it hit the target. There's the bunker in the tree line. Here's another one — hitting the same place where they're hiding. That's good work, guys. Surgical.'In May the British Army retired its 89 AS90s, handing them all over to Ukraine. The Third Assault Brigade received at least 12, replacing their Soviet-era 2S19 Msta-S. They are pleased with their new weapon. 'If the gun is in good condition — if we've checked it and everything's fine — it works really well. It feels like it was built with the operator in mind,' said 'Skrypa', the crew commander. The tracked vehicle's interior is spacious compared with their old Soviet artillery, and it is better armoured and better absorbs the powerful, brain-shaking vibrations of the 155mm gun. They have also withstood an intensity of use they were never designed for, according to the crew, who allow for some wear and tear. 'These are good guns. They can fire up to eight times more than the declared barrel lifespan,' Lev, a sergeant, said. 'But after 8,000 shots, maybe you'll hit on the fifth shot instead of the third.' The Third Assault Brigade is an elite unit comprised only of volunteers, motivated by strong nationalist sentiment. They are holding the Russians back around the strategic town of Izyum, which was occupied, then liberated, in the first year of the war. Its recapture would allow the Russians to bear down on Ukraine's army further south in the Donbas, cutting key supply lines, so General Syrsky has deployed one of his best brigades there and ordered them to hold. In other areas of the front the Ukrainians are being gradually driven back, hampered by a dire lack of infantry. The key towns of Pokrovsk and Kostyantynivka are being encircled and slowly reduced to rubble. By contrast, the Third Assault Brigade have a full complement and have held the Russians to a crawl for more than a year, despite intense assaults. 'When the enemy begins pushing toward our infantry, we engage to stop them from even getting close,' Skrypa said. 'I had a situation where about 30 [Russians] started gathering in a tree line, preparing to attack our guys — storm troopers. But they didn't make it. We fired several shells, and that was it, none of them wanted to come back.' • Putin gives Russian passport to US citizen who spied on Ukraine The Ukrainians' use of British AS90s has pleased their UK allies. 'The UK's AS90 artillery platforms, which with its high rate of fire, survivability and good mobility has made it a highly effective tool in halting Russian attacks,' Luke Pollard, the minister for the armed forces, said. 'The UK's support for Ukraine remains ironclad. That is why we are stepping up on a 50-day drive to arm Ukraine and force Putin to the negotiating table.' Initially the UK planned to send only 30 howitzers, which were transferred in January 2023. Yet the Ukrainian crews have proved so capable they were gifted all of them. The artillery systems, designed in the 1990s, were retired by the British Army because of their age and their lumbering lack of mobility for the modern battlefield. But they are still proving their worth in Ukraine and have become a high priority target for Russian drones designed in 2025. 'There was one incident when we got hit by a winged drone. It hit near our firing position. But since we always use camouflage nets and branches, the cumulative charge only scratched the armour a little,' Skrypa recalled. 'Another time the net caught fire — it started spreading toward the gun, but we managed to put it out in time. First two FPVs hit our firing point, then we extinguished the flames and went back to our position. The third drone hit our transport vehicle — the regular one we drove in on. It burnt down completely.' The men cracked jokes in the bunker to relieve the tension while waiting to find out if the Russian drone had found either the gun emplacement or their bunker. Bear tracked its signal on a screen that shows any aircraft emitting a radio signal. The last line of defence against drones is a simple shotgun, but the Ukrainians have now developed cartridges that can be loaded into the magazine of an assault rifle. They can be fired in bursts, creating a spread of shrapnel that increases the chance of hitting an incoming explosive drone. After an anxious few minutes, the Russian drone started moving away. 'The air is clear,' says Bear, looking up from the screen. There are newer drones, controlled by long strands of fibre optic cable, that give off no radio signal and that his system cannot detect, he warned. Then the crew returned to resume their firing.
Russia Today
19-07-2025
- Russia Today
Russian soldier catches Ukrainian drone with bare hands (VIDEO)
A Russian soldier has managed to catch a Ukrainian FPV drone mid-air and destroy it, a video obtained by RT shows. The incident occurred in Ukraine's Kharkov Region, when a Russian position came under attack by a Ukrainian UAV. The FPV is seen approaching a dugout covered with pine branches. The drone slips in, with the Russian serviceman emerging moments later, carrying the deadly device in his hands. The soldier proceeds to repeatedly smack the drone against a tree, destroying its rotors and immobilizing the UAV. The serviceman then throws the drone into a crater before returning to his position, footage shows. 'I understand, yes, I could have died, but it's better for me to die alone than for this drone to kill several of our guys at once,' the soldier told his comrades afterward. Usage of assorted FPV drones has increasingly grown amid the hostilities between Moscow and Kiev, becoming one of the key inexpensive short-range tools for both sides. The drones of this type have been actively used to strike installations, armor, and entrenched positions, as well as to hunt down individual soldiers. In recent months, fiber optics-guided FPV drones were fielded first by Moscow and then by Kiev. Such devices offer a secure alternative to conventional radio-controlled drones susceptible to interference, as well as boasting a significantly increased range.
Forbes
18-07-2025
- Forbes
Miniature Aircraft Carrier Fits In A Bathtub But Packs An FPV
Ursula is a small robot boat which can transport an FPV and carry out attacks from rivers and ... More coastlines Ursula is the latest addition to Ukraine's drone boat fleet. At just one meter (about three feet) long, it may look more like a toy than a serious piece of military hardware, but this robot vessel may be the world's smallest aircraft carrier, transporting an FPV drone for reconnaissance or attack missions. Ukraine has previously carried out successful attacks on Russian forces in coastal areas with FPVs launched from larger drone boats. Ursula, smaller and able to travel up further rivers and through swampy areas, could hit the Russians in a lot of new places. Tech Startups Ursula was revealed in a video released by the Association of Ukrainian Engineers, a group set up shared ideas, publicize members work and attract investors. It was developed by ToviTechNet, a previously unknown company. A multi-role vessel, Ursula can be fitted with sensors to carry out river patrols or be armed with small explosive charge for suicide attacks on enemy boats. Or, as seen in the video, it can transport a drone. The drone is not shown taking off from the boat and no details are given, so the project may be in its early stages. However similar drone boats or Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USVs) are in operation and flying drones from USVs is already standard practice. The Black Widow miniature drone boat is already in service with the Ukrainian military In particular Ukrainian military news source Militarnyi noted in January 2025 that the armed forces was receiving Black Widow 2 USVs. Also, little more than a meter long the Black Widow 2 is capable of speeds of up to 25 mph. It has a raised camera on a gimbal for reconnaissance. The battery is sufficient for several hours of operation, but with the engines turned off it can wait in lurking moder for several days. Black Widow 2 can carry a 3-kilo explosive charge, enough to destroy a small boat or damage a larger vessel. The developers say they produced it in response to demand from the Ukrainian military, who needed it for operations against the Russians on the islands on the Dnipro river. Design started in 2023, the Black Widow 2 was demonstrated in late 2024 and it was in use at the start of 2025. One boat costs just $2,400 and the company says they can make 100 per month. Black Widow 2 has not been seen configured as a drone carrier, but it is unlikely that nobody else has had the idea. Drone Aircraft Carriers Attack USV carriers struck their first targets last year, when they hit Russian offshore platforms used for observation and electronic warfare. According to Militarnyi the drone boats launched FPVs which engaged the Russian defenders. This prevented them from dealing with the USVs, which appear to have dropped underwater mines to damage the legs of the platforms as well as ramming them before exploding. HI Sutton notes that the USVs, a type not seen before, each appeared to be equipped with 4 drones. The raid appears to have been a success, leaving the platforms destroyed or on fire. Ukraine's security services have released video of USVs launching both FPV attack drones and longer-range fixed-wing drones. The FPVs have a claimed range oi around 10 miles, the fixed-wing drones around 25 miles. In January Ukraine released video showing an attacks on a Russian air defence systems by FPVs carried by drone boats. The boats appear to have been similar to the Magura USV seen previously, but may have been the same as the ones used to attack offshore platforms, Earlier this month a Ukrainian USV raid on Crimea launched FPVs which destroyed three radar a systems and a command post. Small Size, Unlimited Range While larger USVs have attacked targets out at sea or further along the coast, Ursula seems to be more intended for riverine warfare. Being able to covertly move an FPV into an attacking position and engage enemy forces miles away from the water will open up new dimensions. In future though, miniature aircraft carriers could attack targets at longer, and very much longer ranges. Existing small USVs which do not rely on battery power but draw energy from their surroundings have effectively unlimited range. A Saildrone being tested by Danish defence forces in 2025 These include the WaveGlider platform operated by the U.S. Navy, a surfboard sized vessel which generates forward motion from wave power and powers its electronics with solar cells. Back in 2011 makers Liquid Robotics sent a fleet of WaveGliders across the Pacific Ocean to demonstrate their ability to carry out months-long missions. The Russians appear to have copied the design in 2016 and others may too. The Saildrone is a wind-powered USV robust enough to sail through the eye of a hurricane and also trialed by the U.S. Navy for a variety of missions requiring extreme endurance. These vessels are not fast, but they are inexpensive and stealthy compared to traditional vessels and could cover the world's oceans – and infiltrate shorelines, rivers, deltas and swamps, ready to unleash a Spiderweb-tyle drone attack on unsuspecting adversaries. That also applies to vessels like aircraft carriers which might be vulnerable to a few pounds of explosive in the right place on deck. Just as hobbyist drones have started to dominate land warfare, USVs that look like bath toys may become surprisingly important at sea.
Russia Today
17-07-2025
- Russia Today
Russian soldier catches Ukrainian drove with bare hands (VIDEO)
A Russian soldier has managed to catch a Ukrainian FPV drone mid-air and destroy it, a video obtained by RT shows. The incident occurred in Ukraine's Kharkov Region, when a Russian position came under attack by a Ukrainian UAV. The FPV is seen approaching a dugout covered with pine branches. The drone slips in, with the Russian serviceman emerging moments later, carrying the deadly device in his hands. The soldier proceeds to repeatedly smack the drone against a tree, destroying its rotors and immobilizing the UAV. The serviceman then throws the drone into a crater before returning to his position, footage shows. 'I understand, yes, I could have died, but it's better for me to die alone than for this drone to kill several of our guys at once,' the soldier told his comrades afterward. Usage of assorted FPV drones has increasingly grown amid the hostilities between Moscow and Kiev, becoming one of the key inexpensive short-range tools for both sides. The drones of this type have been actively used to strike installations, armor, and entrenched positions, as well as to hunt down individual soldiers. In recent months, fiber optics-guided FPV drones were fielded first by Moscow and then by Kiev. Such devices offer a secure alternative to conventional radio-controlled drones susceptible to interference, as well as boasting a significantly increased range.
