Latest news with #Volodymyr
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
A Ukrainian weapons maker is building a new unjammable drone with a 100-kilometer reach. It says 'the war has changed.'
A Ukrainian company says it's developing a new fiber-optic drone with a range of up to 100 kilometers. This would be a major upgrade for what has emerged as one of the most important weapons in the war. Fiber-optic FPV drones are immune to electronic warfare tactics, making them particularly deadly. A Ukrainian company is developing an unjammable fiber-optic drone that can roam nearly 100 kilometers from its operator — more than doubling the reach of current models — in a bid to radically extend the reach of one of the war's most feared weapons. The co-founder of Fold, who asked to only be identified as Volodymyr for security reasons, told Business Insider that the range upgrade is essential as Ukraine races to match a battlefield that shifts by the day and punishes anything that can't keep up. "Today, war has changed," Volodymyr said in emailed remarks. The high-value targets are farther away from the front lines than they used to be, making it imperative that drones have the reach. Fiber-optic drones are regular first-person-view (FPV) drones — small, commercially available quadcopters that can cost as little as a few hundred dollars and carry a large enough explosive payload to destroy a multimillion-dollar tank. However, instead of a radio frequency connection between the drone and its operator, fiber-optic drones are fitted with spools of long, thin cables to preserve a steady link. This makes them practically immune to electronic warfare tactics and especially dangerous in combat. For soldiers, the only real hope of stopping an unjammable drone is with a shotgun. There's a lot of luck in that kind of defense. With no reliable solutions to defend against fiber-optic drones, which can deliver precision strikes, they are emerging as a weapon of choice for Ukraine and Russia. Production is ramping up, and cables are now stretching across the battlefield, glistening in the sun like spider webs, as combat videos have shown. Fold is one of many Ukrainian companies working on fiber-optic drones for the country's armed forces. The firm started out building drones with a 5-kilometer range, but has since extended this to 15 and up to 25 kilometers — relatively standard distances. Volodymyr said this "first generation" of fiber-optic drones was more relevant last year when enemy positions were closer, sometimes even visible with the naked eye, at a distance of several kilometers. He said the front lines now look different from earlier in the conflict. Opposing troop positions have moved farther away from each other, creating a large gap — or a "gray zone" — that serves as a graveyard for tanks, armored vehicles, and soldiers. Important and expensive military equipment is harder to reach. "The flight range of 10-15 kilometers is often insufficient to destroy large enemy targets," Volodymyr said. He added that fiber-optic drones able to fly beyond 30 kilometers are more relevant at this stage in the war, and Fold is working on these kinds of drones, including some with ranges of 40 and 50 kilometers. Samuel Bendett, a drone expert and an advisor in the Russia studies program at the Center for Naval Analyses, a US research institution, told Business Insider that both Russia and Ukraine are working on 40-kilometer fiber-optic spools, noting "there is evidence at the front that such strikes are already taking place." But Fold is aiming farther than this. The company has initiated the research and development process of a second generation of fiber-optic drones, and it plans to launch drones with a range between 50 and 100 kilometers within the next few months. Bendett said "longer distances are certainly achievable," but they will depend on the skill of drone pilots and other factors. It is nearly certain, he added, that the ambitious range extensions will come with considerable technical and environmental challenges. One of the biggest vulnerabilities of fiber-optic drones is their cables, which can get easily snagged or tangled on the battlefield — either through enemy action or accident. The expanded ranges will require much longer coils than previous variants, potentially making drones more susceptible to hang-ups. An official familiar with warfighting innovations in Ukraine, who spoke to Business Insider on the condition of anonymity to discuss this technology, said that longer cables raise the risk that the drone will encounter more obstacles on its path that could damage it. The longer cables needed to satisfy the expanded range also add to the drone's weight, which could force developers to reduce the size of its combat payload, ultimately making the weapon less deadly and reducing its combat effectiveness. The official said the extended-range drones will require larger frames to support the added weight. This could drive up costs and make the drones less nimble on the battlefield. Volodymyr acknowledges the challenges in fielding this kind of technology. However, there are potential engineering workarounds, and he said the extended range will not compromise the drone's resistance to electronic warfare, the priority with this tech. "That is exactly how we made it. This was the main goal of our development (or invention)," he stressed. It's unclear whether other Ukrainian companies are trying to expand the range of their drones as far as Fold hopes, but fiber-optic drone manufacturing continues to be a major focus of Kyiv's defense industry as cheap, uncrewed aerial systems prove their unrelenting dominance on the battlefield. "Conventional small arms are no longer as relevant as they were in the past," Volodymyr said. "Shooting from rifles and machine guns is often useless. The bullets simply do not reach the enemy." Fiber-optic drones "play a very important role in eliminating attacks (assaults)," he said, referring to Russian mechanized infantry and armored assaults on Ukrainian posts. "They destroy enemy armored vehicles and personnel on distant approaches — tens of kilometers from the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, where small arms cannot reach." Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
18 hours ago
- Business
- Business Insider
A Ukrainian weapons maker is building a new unjammable drone with a 100-kilometer reach. It says 'the war has changed.'
A Ukrainian company is developing an unjammable fiber-optic drone that can roam nearly 100 kilometers from its operator — more than doubling the reach of current models — in a bid to radically extend the reach of one of the war's most feared weapons. The co-founder of Fold, who asked to only be identified as Volodymyr for security reasons, told Business Insider that the range upgrade is essential as Ukraine races to match a battlefield that shifts by the day and punishes anything that can't keep up. "Today, war has changed," Volodymyr said in emailed remarks. The high-value targets are farther away from the front lines than they used to be, making it imperative that drones have the reach. Fiber-optic drones are regular first-person-view (FPV) drones — small, commercially available quadcopters that can cost as little as a few hundred dollars and carry a large enough explosive payload to destroy a multimillion-dollar tank. However, instead of a radio frequency connection between the drone and its operator, fiber-optic drones are fitted with spools of long, thin cables to preserve a steady link. This makes them practically immune to electronic warfare tactics and especially dangerous in combat. For soldiers, the only real hope of stopping an unjammable drone is with a shotgun. There's a lot of luck in that kind of defense. With no reliable solutions to defend against fiber-optic drones, which can deliver precision strikes, they are emerging as a weapon of choice for Ukraine and Russia. Production is ramping up, and cables are now stretching across the battlefield, glistening in the sun like spider webs, as combat videos have shown. Fold is one of many Ukrainian companies working on fiber-optic drones for the country's armed forces. The firm started out building drones with a 5-kilometer range, but has since extended this to 15 and up to 25 kilometers — relatively standard distances. Volodymyr said this "first generation" of fiber-optic drones was more relevant last year when enemy positions were closer, sometimes even visible with the naked eye, at a distance of several kilometers. He said the front lines now look different from earlier in the conflict. Opposing troop positions have moved farther away from each other, creating a large gap — or a "gray zone" — that serves as a graveyard for tanks, armored vehicles, and soldiers. Important and expensive military equipment is harder to reach. "The flight range of 10-15 kilometers is often insufficient to destroy large enemy targets," Volodymyr said. He added that fiber-optic drones able to fly beyond 30 kilometers are more relevant at this stage in the war, and Fold is working on these kinds of drones, including some with ranges of 40 and 50 kilometers. Samuel Bendett, a drone expert and an advisor in the Russia studies program at the Center for Naval Analyses, a US research institution, told Business Insider that both Russia and Ukraine are working on 40-kilometer fiber-optic spools, noting "there is evidence at the front that such strikes are already taking place." But Fold is aiming farther than this. The company has initiated the research and development process of a second generation of fiber-optic drones, and it plans to launch drones with a range between 50 and 100 kilometers within the next few months. Bendett said "longer distances are certainly achievable," but they will depend on the skill of drone pilots and other factors. It is nearly certain, he added, that the ambitious range extensions will come with considerable technical and environmental challenges. One of the biggest vulnerabilities of fiber-optic drones is their cables, which can get easily snagged or tangled on the battlefield — either through enemy action or accident. The expanded ranges will require much longer coils than previous variants, potentially making drones more susceptible to hang-ups. An official familiar with warfighting innovations in Ukraine, who spoke to Business Insider on the condition of anonymity to discuss this technology, said that longer cables raise the risk that the drone will encounter more obstacles on its path that could damage it. The longer cables needed to satisfy the expanded range also add to the drone's weight, which could force developers to reduce the size of its combat payload, ultimately making the weapon less deadly and reducing its combat effectiveness. The official said the extended-range drones will require larger frames to support the added weight. This could drive up costs and make the drones less nimble on the battlefield. Volodymyr acknowledges the challenges in fielding this kind of technology. However, there are potential engineering workarounds, and he said the extended range will not compromise the drone's resistance to electronic warfare, the priority with this tech. "That is exactly how we made it. This was the main goal of our development (or invention)," he stressed. It's unclear whether other Ukrainian companies are trying to expand the range of their drones as far as Fold hopes, but fiber-optic drone manufacturing continues to be a major focus of Kyiv's defense industry as cheap, uncrewed aerial systems prove their unrelenting dominance on the battlefield. "Conventional small arms are no longer as relevant as they were in the past," Volodymyr said. "Shooting from rifles and machine guns is often useless. The bullets simply do not reach the enemy." Fiber-optic drones "play a very important role in eliminating attacks (assaults)," he said, referring to Russian mechanized infantry and armored assaults on Ukrainian posts. "They destroy enemy armored vehicles and personnel on distant approaches — tens of kilometers from the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, where small arms cannot reach."
LeMonde
04-08-2025
- Politics
- LeMonde
Mariia Nazarenko's first days in France after fleeing Ukraine: 'In Kyiv, I was a university professor. Today, I am a refugee searching for toothpaste'
"I was supposed to leave for three days. It turned into three years. On February 21, 2022, the eve of the war [Russia's invasion of Ukraine], my partner and I flew to Madrid for a romantic weekend. My 17-year-old son stayed in Ukraine. I didn't believe war was coming; even [President Volodymyr] Zelensky was joking at the time, telling us that May would, as always in our country, be the month of barbecues. I remember walking the streets of Madrid that day, suddenly overcome with panic as I read the news. It was as if anxiety caught up with me all at once. In the middle of the night, a friend called: He was under bombardment in Kyiv. My son and my mother were there, too. Everything then became surreal; I wandered like a zombie through the Spanish capital, checking the news on my phone every three minutes, bursting into tears whenever I saw a Ukrainian flag, desperately trying to convince my loved ones to leave Kyiv. But the bombs were falling, and everything was so dangerous.
Metro
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Metro
Trump 'asks Zelensky if he could strike Moscow with US long-range weapons'
Ukraine could soon bomb the heart of Russia – on the request of Donald Trump – if the US provides long-range weapons, it is alleged. It is understood that the US president has – very privately – encouraged his Ukrainian counterpart to step up attacks and even hit Moscow. 'Volodymyr, can you hit Moscow? Can you hit St Petersburg too?' he asked, according to sources cited by the Financial Times. According to them, Zelensky replied: 'Absolutely. We can if you give us the weapons.' Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ Or you can submit your videos and pictures here. For more stories like this, check our news page. Follow on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here. MORE: Ukraine avenges death of one-year-old in 'human safari' by Russian forces MORE: Trump 'trusts no one' and is 'disappointed but not done' with Putin over Ukraine MORE: Office worker accused of helping Russian spies 'just wanted out of nine-to-five'
Times
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Times
Meet the teenage Ukrainian refugee heading to Wimbledon
He's the teenage tennis prodigy who fled bombs in Ukraine. Now he's set to fire aces at Wimbledon. Illia Snaksarov was discovered hitting a tennis ball against the outside wall of the Glasgow hotel he and his parents were living in after fleeing Russia's invasion of their home town in 2022. The determined 13-year-old was spotted by Svetlana Mackenzie, an interpreter who was working with displaced families as they arrived in Scotland. Mackenzie, who is a member of Western Tennis Club, arranged for Illia to play with other children there. He rose rapidly through the club ranks, eventually winning the West of Scotland inter-club leagues, and secured his place at the Wimbledon juniors tournament after a win in the West of Scotland finals of the Play Your Way to Wimbledon event. Next month he'll head south to SW19's hallowed grass courts to face competition from youngsters from around the UK. Illia, a pupil at St Mungo's Academy, trains four times a week with his dad, Volodymyr, who ran tennis tournaments in Ukraine before the war — now he makes Wimbledon-themed bracelets to sell outside concerts and sports events raising money for his country's war effort. Illia, who speaks seven languages (Ukrainian, Russian, English, Spanish, Italian, French and Polish), said: 'It's been great to play at Western, because up until that point I didn't have anywhere else to play, I didn't know about any courts to go to. 'When I came here I started coming to do training sessions working on my game. Then I started playing league matches after a couple of months.' He added: 'My favourite player is Carlos Alcaraz, he plays good, aggressive tennis, and has a balanced mentality in games. I have a good serve, and can play aggressive forehands.' Mackenzie, who works for Glasgow city council's Ukrainian response team, said: 'I could tell that Illia had talent and I was delighted to invite him and his dad to train at my club, Western, where I knew they would be welcomed and given opportunities.' Illia's mother, Svitlana, who was a childminder and now volunteers in a city charity shop, has settled her family in Calton. She said: 'There was a helicopter landing area close to our home in Khmelnitskiy and because of that there was a lot of shooting and fighting. We had to leave. Our main goal in coming here was for Illia to be safe.' Volodymyr added: 'We are so grateful for the training sessions. It is so exciting, we are really happy about what's happening. It's such a good start and is a chance for him to respect what he can achieve. We are so grateful to the club for what they have given him.' Ian Campbell, the head coach at Western, said: 'It's been inspiring to watch how hard Illia and his dad train and we are delighted that we have been able to offer him extra training and we will be rooting for him all the way at Wimbledon.'
