Latest news with #dronewarfare
CNN
2 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
Ukraine scrambles to set up ‘drone wall' as it braces for Russian summer offensive
Russia dramatically intensified missile and drone attacks across Ukraine this month in an effort to sap Ukrainians' morale – but it is also stepping up ground attacks in many areas along the long frontline, according to Ukrainian officials and analysts. Some of those attacks have succeeded, with Ukrainian units in Donetsk and the north falling back from some positions, while some rural areas in the south have also been lost. But Ukraine's own enhanced use of drones, deployed in several layers on the battlefield, has helped Kyiv inflict heavy losses on the opposing forces with minimal casualties among its own troops. They may become even more critical in the months to come. The Ukrainians are trying to expand their own drone industry to create defensive corridors along key sections of the front line, often dubbed the 'drone wall.' Meanwhile, ignoring US President Donald Trump's efforts to secure a ceasefire, the Kremlin is pursuing a two-pronged strategy aimed at forcing Ukraine to admit defeat – destroying its cities from the sky and whittling away its defensive lines on the ground. Russia has sharply expanded its own drone and missile production in the past year, allowing for mass attacks using several hundred projectiles at once. The Russian strategy seeks to overwhelm Ukraine's air defenses with scores of low-cost drones so that simultaneous missile strikes can succeed. On the ground, Russian forces are probing Ukrainian defenses along many parts of the frontline simultaneously, from Zaporizhzhia in the south to Sumy in the north, advancing into abandoned villages and across open countryside in small numbers. The Russians are not rolling through Ukrainian defenses but gnawing away at them, using cars and motorbikes and scattered infantry platoons. Russian forces have advanced an average of roughly 14 square kilometers (5.4 square miles) per day so far this year, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in Washington. This rate implies they'd need nearly four more years to complete the occupation of the four regions illegally annexed by Moscow: Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. Those are the Kremlin's oft-stated goals, but it is also trying to instil a sense among Kyiv's allies of Russian superiority over Ukrainian forces. Much of the fighting is in Donetsk, with the Russians still determined to seize the entire region – unless it is handed over in peace negotiations, which is a non-starter for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed Tuesday that a village south of the key town of Kostiantynivka had been taken. ISW assesses that Russian forces seized roughly 65 square kms of territory - but remain incapable of intensifying offensive operations in several different directions simultaneously. 'The main Russian effort into the summer will once again be against the key towns of Kostyantynivka and Pokrovsk' in Donetsk, according to Jack Watling, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London. Hundreds of miles to the north, Russian units have edged a few kilometers into the Sumy region. Zelensky told journalists Tuesday that the Russians are 'now amassing troops in the Sumy direction. More than 50,000. We understand that. But we are making progress there.' Zelensky said the Russians wanted 'to build this buffer zone, as they call it, 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) deep into Ukraine,' but lacked the capability. The Russians are supporting these operations with missile and air-launched guided-bomb attacks. The attacks into Sumy follow a Kremlin directive on May 21 that the military create buffer zones inside northern Ukraine – in Sumy and Kharkiv regions. That came when President Vladimir Putin visited Russia's Kursk region across the border, part of which had been seized by a Ukrainian incursion launched from Sumy last summer. Capturing Sumy's regional capital is probably beyond the Russians – the terrain is thickly forested. But through their attacks, the Russian military can prevent the Ukrainians from redeploying units to Donetsk. Further east there's also been an uptick in fighting around Vovchansk in Kharkiv region in recent days. Across the 1,000-kilometer (621-mile) frontline, according to analysts, the Ukrainian military has to decide which areas are under greatest threat, where to withdraw, how to redeploy – even as many brigades are seriously under-strength more than three years after the Russian invasion. The manpower balance is still very much in Russia's favor, despite its heavy losses. Putin recently claimed that 60,000 volunteers are being recruited every month. Observers believe this is likely exaggerated but signing-up bonuses that dwarf civilian wages in Russia make military service an attractive option. Ukraine's military chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said earlier this month that Kyiv faced 'a combined enemy grouping of up to 640,000 personnel,' higher than at the outset of the invasion. Zelensky said in January that Ukraine had 880,000 soldiers, 'but 880,000 are defending the entire territory. Russian forces are concentrated in certain directions.' Russian recruitment 'has exceeded Kremlin targets for every month of 2025,' according to the RUSI analyst Watling. 'Having shuffled commanders and built-up reserves of equipment, Russia is now set to increase the tempo and scale of attacks.' But for every square kilometer of Ukrainian land that Russia captures, Moscow is probably losing about 100 men, according to Western assessments. Above and behind the frontlines as well as in the air campaign being waged by Moscow, the development and deployment of drones will continue to be critical. The recent Russian advances in Donetsk, while incremental, were enabled by the tactic of isolating the battlefield – cutting Ukrainian units from supplies through drone strikes on supply vehicles up to 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from the front lines. Ukrainian defenses are heavily reliant on layers of drones. The Ukrainians are developing a concept sometimes dubbed the 'drone wall,' designed to 'provide a continuous defensive corridor of drones along Ukraine's most vulnerable frontiers to inflict significant casualties on Russian forces,' according to Mick Ryan, author of the blog Futura Doctrina. Konrad Muzyka, a defense analyst at Rochan Consulting, says that 'Ukrainian forces are increasingly lethal with drone-artillery coordination. Russian assaults — motorcycle-based and armored — were defeated across several fronts with minimal Ukrainian losses' in April. But Ryan points out that an effective drone wall will require integration 'and probably AI-assisted decision-making and analysis,' as well as integration with electronic warfare. And it's a two-way street. Ukrainian drones are 'guided by small radar, and Russia is now systematically working to locate and target these radar stations,' Watling writes. Zelensky said Tuesday that Russia plans to ramp up production of Shahed attack drones to between 300 and 350 per day. Asked whether there may come a time when Russia fires 1,000 drones in one day, he replied: 'I cannot say that this will not happen.' Sending drones in their hundreds saturates air defenses, as they accumulate over a target area. Russia has also developed drones that can evade Ukrainian jamming and can fly higher and faster than earlier models. Ukrainian analyst Oleksandr Kovalenko said last week that one Shahed had been observed at a record altitude of 4,900 meters. According to Zelensky, Ukraine is now deploying F-16 and Mirage fighter jets to supplement air defenses. 'We are also moving towards drone-to-drone interceptors,' he said Tuesday. Ukraine's former military chief, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, says Ukraine must wage a 'high-tech war of survival' in which drones play a critical role, to 'make the economic burden of the war unbearable for Russia.' Speaking to a Kyiv forum last week, Zaluzhnyi – now Ukraine's ambassador to London - said that his country had failed to exploit innovations 'where yesterday we were ahead of the enemy. The enemy has already outpaced us.' Analysts cite Russia's growing use of short-range fiber-optic drones that can't be jammed as one example of the technological race. Ukraine is yet to scale up the use of such drones, which rely on millimeters-thick, but miles-long, optical fibers. Zelensky denied Ukraine was losing the drone war. 'We will have the same number of drones as the Russians, 300-500 per day - we are very close to it,' he said. The issue was not production, Zelensky said – it was financial. As Ukraine seeks to produce more of its own weapons – often in association with Western manufacturers, Zelensky added: 'I would like to see us receive $30 billion to launch Ukrainian production at full capacity.' But that is a long-term goal. Watling, from RUSI, envisages a tough few months for Ukraine that 'will place a premium on the efficiency of Ukrainian drone and artillery operations, the ability of Ukrainian commanders to preserve their troops, and the continuity of supplies flowing from Ukraine's international partners.' The continuation of US supplies is unsure as Trump blows hot and cold about whether Washington should continue helping Ukraine defend itself. Putin is 'desperately seeking to prevent the future supply of Western military aid to Ukraine,' according to ISW, 'as well-resourced Ukrainian forces have consistently demonstrated their ability to inflict unsustainable losses on Russian forces.' Innovation and tactical agility will be as influential as brute force as the war enters its fourth summer. CNN's Kosta Gak and Victoria Butenko contributed reporting.
Russia Today
5 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Here's what they don't tell you about ‘massive Russian strikes on Ukraine'
In the current media frenzy surrounding the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, a glaring double standard continues to distort public perception: the nature and impact of drone warfare. Western outlets, politicians, and NGOs are quick to pounce on Russia for retaliatory actions, yet remain eerily silent about Ukraine's increasingly reckless and escalatory drone campaign. This selective outrage has not only undermined serious dialogue on peace – it has shielded Ukraine from accountability as it wages what can only be described as a campaign of terror against Russian civilians. Over the past few weeks, Ukraine's use of drones has surged in both frequency and range. On a near-daily basis, dozens – sometimes hundreds – of drones are launched toward Russian territory, many targeting civilian infrastructure or flying indiscriminately toward dense urban centers like Moscow. While Russia's air defense systems have performed admirably in intercepting the majority of these threats, the falling debris poses an unavoidable risk to civilians, including children and the elderly. Russian regions far from the frontlines have been forced into a state of constant vigilance, air raid alerts disrupting the normalcy of everyday life. What's most alarming is the strategic logic – or lack thereof – behind these strikes. Unlike military-grade precision operations, Ukraine's drone attacks appear designed less to achieve tactical objectives and more to instill fear. The targets are often electrical substations, communication towers, or simply proximity to residential areas. This cannot be framed as mere collateral damage; it is a campaign whose effects are felt most deeply by civilians. Despite this escalating threat to Russian civilians, international reaction has been resoundingly one-sided. There is no UN condemnation of Ukraine's drone strikes. There are no emergency meetings in Brussels, no CNN specials about Russian children running to bomb shelters. Instead, the focus is singular: Russia's every response is dissected, denounced, and demonized. The same countries that cheer on Ukraine's technological advancements in warfare turn a blind eye to the human cost – so long as the humans in question are Russian. This selective outrage creates a moral vacuum in which Ukraine is emboldened to continue its drone war with impunity. Zelensky, backed by his Western sponsors, is not held accountable for the reckless escalation he fuels. Worse still, this impunity undermines any real incentive for dialogue. Why negotiate when your side is never blamed? What is most striking in this dynamic is Russia's restraint. Despite the volume and severity of the attacks on its territory, Moscow's drone strikes remain focused on disrupting military logistics and strategic assets within Ukraine – often near the frontlines. Russia has refrained from matching Ukraine's willingness to launch indiscriminate aerial barrages deep into population centers. If anything, it has used this period to demonstrate its commitment to a diplomatic resolution, responding from a defensive posture while signaling that its hand remains extended toward the peace table. At some point, however, enough is enough. A nation cannot allow its citizens to be terrorized indefinitely while posturing for peace. The Kremlin has an obligation to protect its people. And that means pushing back against these drone incursions with the seriousness they deserve. Critics will claim Russia's posture is inconsistent with its actions, but the facts tell a different story. Moscow remains open to dialogue. It is not demanding one-sided ultimatums, nor is it setting artificial deadlines as Western capitals often do. Contrast this with the theatrics of Zelensky and his handlers in Washington and Brussels, who have turned negotiations into performative exercises rather than serious efforts to end the conflict. It is not Russia who walked away from Istanbul in 2022. It is not Russia who ignored the Minsk process when it was politically inconvenient. Russia enters any future negotiations not as a supplicant, but as a state that has demonstrated both military strength and diplomatic maturity. It does so knowing full well that any peace must be just, balanced, and grounded in the lessons of the past – chief among them, that appeasement and naïveté only invite betrayal. There is indeed a stark difference between Ukraine's and Russia's drone strikes. One is a campaign of terror, reckless and civilian-targeted, encouraged by Western silence. The other is a reluctant defense, carried out with discipline and restraint. If peace is to be achieved, it must begin with honesty about who is escalating, who is suffering, and who continues to act like a responsible power even while under attack. Until the world is ready to admit that, Russian civilians will rely on their nation to do what must be done – and rightly so.
Russia Today
7 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
US ‘learning' from Ukraine conflict
Washington is actively following drone warfare developments in the Ukraine conflict, US President Donald Trump told West Point Military Academy graduates on Saturday. He said the US is 'learning' from the tactics used by both Moscow and Kiev and that it was important to stay 'at the top' amid the rapidly changing nature of warfare. 'We are studying it. We are seeing different forms of warfare, we are seeing the drones that are coming down at angles, with speed, with precision. We have never seen anything like that. We are learning from it,' the president said, referring to their use in the current struggle. He then called on the cadets to 'have the courage to take risks and do things differently' in a bid to stay up-to-date in the field of military tactics and strategy. His comments came as The Times reported that Russia was beating Ukraine in 'the drone race' when it comes to both the production of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and their use on the battlefield. It particularly pointed to the fiber optic drone types connected directly to their operators through a gossamer thin fiber optic thread that makes them difficult to detect or intercept. Such drones are 'essentially a wire-guided, highly maneuverable killer drone, impervious to jamming, and difficult to track by radio-based drone detector units,' The Times reported, adding that the Russian UAVs were 'altering the physical make-up of the front line, the tactics of the war and the psychology of the soldiers fighting it' and were 'devasting' the Ukrainian military's logistics in the process. Russian President Vladimir Putin highlighted the important role drones had been playing on the battlefield back in April. Speaking at a meeting of the Russian military-industrial committee, he called UAVs 'one of the serious factors of battlefield success.' According to the president, some 4,000 first-person view (FPV) drones were sent to the troops daily throughout 2024. FPV UAVs have mostly been used as kamikaze drones by the Russian military to strike a wide array of targets, ranging from tanks and armored vehicles to other drones. Earlier this month, the Russian military published a video showcasing the successful deployment of low-cost FPV drones against more expensive Ukrainian reconnaissance UAVs.
Wall Street Journal
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
Haiti's Beleaguered Government Launches Drones Against Gangs
A new front for drone warfare has opened a two-hour flight south of Miami. Haiti's besieged government is using drones strapped with explosives to strike gangs that have turned the nation's capital into a hellscape. The government is relying on lightweight drones carrying rudimentary bombs to reach beyond the 10th of Port-au-Prince it controls. But the hundreds of people killed in those explosions since February don't include any gang leaders, human-rights organizations said.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Ukraine has a new motorcycle attack unit that rushes gun-toting troops into battle on off-road bikes
It's Ukraine's turn to adopt an unusual battle tactic from Russia: motorcycle assaults. One unit has formed its first motorcycle attack company for storming Russian positions quickly. It said its troops have trained "hundreds of hours" to shoot assault rifles from off-road bikes. As the battle with drones continues, motorcycles have become a rising star in Ukraine's war. The Ukrainian military's 425th separate assault regiment, nicknamed "Skala," announced on Tuesday that it had officially formed the country's first motorcycle attack company. "As a result, we now have a modern 'cavalry' whose main task is to rapidly break through to enemy positions, conduct assault operations, and quickly shift the direction of attack," it said on its Telegram channel. The use of motorcycles to carry troops into battle is well-documented in Ukraine. Since early last year, Russian troops have been increasingly seen riding on light vehicles such as ATVs and motorbikes as both a means of transport and a way to attack Ukrainian positions rapidly. Their rise is largely viewed as a direct consequence of drone warfare, since armored vehicles are often vulnerable to exploding drones on Ukraine's flat terrain. While motorbikes leave the rider more exposed, they're faster, nimbler, and smaller, which makes them better able to evade attacks from small drones. "Russia's increased use of motorcycles is an adaptation in response to pervasive Ukrainian drone strikes against Russian armored vehicles and the unsustainable armored vehicle losses that Russian forces suffered in late 2023 and 2024," the Institute for the Study of War wrote in early May. Ukraine's troops initially balked at the attack method, which the Russians used in suicide assaults to wear down Ukrainian defenses and munitions. But the 425th's announcement on Tuesday means that some Ukrainians are now adopting the same tactic. In its statement, the 425th said its motorbike-riding troops had trained for "hundreds of hours" to shoot while on the move. The statement did not indicate whether the unit has started fighting or when its motorcycle troops will hit the front lines. The 425th released a video of about two dozen soldiers riding tandem on off-road motorbikes, with each pair involving one driver and an infantryman wielding an assault rifle. "The goal is to ride in, strike quickly at enemy positions, dismount, storm in, secure a foothold, and complete the mission successfully," a Ukrainian soldier says in the video. Deploying motorbikes in a direct assault is an unusual tactic for modern war, where such vehicles are typically used for reconnaissance or infiltration. US special forces, for example, have used commercial bikes to navigate difficult terrain or traverse deserts in the Middle East. But in Ukraine, the number of motorbikes sighted on the front lines has grown dramatically. In April, Ukrainian troops said they repelled a Russian assault on Pokrovsk that involved over 100 motorcycles. Several Russian motorized attacks last month were also reported to be comprised wholly of motorcycles and civilian vehicles. The latter have been increasingly appearing in the warzone, with Moscow's troops often sighted traveling in sedans and tractors at the rear — a likely sign of strain on Russian logistics and resources. Analysts from the ISW said in late April that it's likely Russia will start further incorporating motorcycles into its tactics for future attacks. Lt. Col. Pavlo Shamshyn, spokesperson of Ukraine's ground forces in Kharkiv, told local media that week that Kyiv believed the same. "Our intelligence records the fact that in training centers on the territory of the Russian Federation and in the units themselves, active training of motorcycle drivers is taking place, and all this indicates that the assault operations of spring-summer 2025 will be carried out on motorcycles," Shamshyn told Ukrainian outlet Suspilne. Read the original article on Business Insider
