A technological race in the skies of Ukraine... and drones decide the battlefield.

 

Ukraine

A technological race in the skies of Ukraine... and drones decide the battlefield.

First-person view (FPV) aircraft fly over supply routes and strike with precision, while drones are used that are connected by fiber optic cables that sometimes extend up to 40 kilometers, making them less affected by electronic jamming.

This shift has led to a near-complete withdrawal of conventional transport from the nearest points of engagement. Ukrainian military sources confirm that movement resumes only in adverse weather conditions that impair drone control capabilities, such as rain and strong winds.

From armored columns to "network tunnels"

The large armored columns that characterized the first year of the war have disappeared. In their place, multi-layered fortifications have spread, and dense netting is stretched over the roads to form tunnel-like structures that attempt to prevent suicide drones from attacking vehicles.

Light trucks are also reinforced with metal cages and anti-drone spikes, while soldiers often stay underground or in carefully camouflaged positions.
Taras Chemut, a former naval veteran and founder of the "Come Back Alive" Foundation, describes the scene as a "killing zone" that expands monthly, asserting that the war has changed radically in a way that European capitals have not yet fully grasped.

High human cost

Kyiv estimates that drones are responsible for up to 80% of Russian battlefield casualties. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that every additional kilometer the Russians control on the Donetsk front "comes at a clear price," referring to significant human losses.

Intensified air surveillance also led to longer periods of unit stays in their positions, as rotation operations became risky due to continuous targeting.

Kherson: A model "drone dome"

In the city of Kherson, which Ukraine regained control of in November 2022 after months of Russian occupation, an unprecedented defensive model is being implemented.

The region's governor, Oleksandr Prokudin, describes the strategy in a clear phrase: "We are building a drone dome" that suspends layers of netting over roads, hospitals, and vital infrastructure, along with integrating electronic warfare systems, sensors, and trained civilian teams.

Local authorities say that about 95% of incoming drones are intercepted, despite the continued daily shelling from the other side of the Dnieper River.
During 2025 alone, more than 235,000 bombings were recorded in the region, including about 100,000 drone attacks, which led to the destruction of tens of thousands of buildings and the deaths of hundreds, according to local data.

Although the region's 2026 budget is only $46 million, approximately 43% of it is allocated to fortifications. According to its officials, Kherson has become a "defense model" that European countries such as Germany, Sweden, and Norway are looking to study, amidst an accelerating race to adapt to the contours of wars being shaped today in the skies over Ukraine.