As the war in Ukraine grinds into its fifth year, drones have come to dominate the front line — a transformation in modern warfare now being closely observed worldwide.
Four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion by sending troops and armour across the border, unmanned systems are reshaping how the conflict is fought.
Kill zone
From inexpensive commercial devices adapted from civilian use to explosive-laden miniature aircraft, drones are responsible for up to 80 per cent of battlefield damage, according to Ukraine’s Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
“Modern warfare is now impossible without drones,” a Ukrainian infantry soldier known by the call sign Koleso told AFP in eastern Ukraine.
The front line has been transformed into what military analyst Kateryna Bondar describes as a “kill zone” stretching up to 20 kilometres (12 miles) deep — an area between opposing forces where constant drone surveillance leaves little chance of survival.
Troops operate in small, fast-moving units, scanning the skies to avoid detection. Heavy artillery, tanks and armoured vehicles — slow and conspicuous — have become easy targets for both sides.
To limit personnel exposure, Ukrainian forces increasingly deploy ground drones to transport supplies into high-risk areas and evacuate wounded soldiers.
Fibre optics
Securing a stable link between drone and operator has become a critical battlefield contest.
“That’s where the real race is happening — communications and connectivity,” Bondar said.
Early in the war, most drones relied on radio signals. However, they proved vulnerable to electronic warfare, including jamming and interception that could sever control links or bring aircraft down.
Russian forces have since deployed drones steered via ultra-thin fibre-optic cables, which are largely resistant to electronic interference. Their widespread use has left sections of frontline towns and farmland draped in tangles of cable, evoking scenes from dystopian science fiction.
Starlink
As an alternative to radio control, Ukrainian operators began equipping drones with terminals connected to Starlink, allowing them to operate via satellite internet.
“We need to fly long distances with a stable video feed and reliable control,” said Phoenix, a commander with Ukraine’s Lasar Group, an early pioneer of the system.
Russian units soon adopted similar methods, prompting Kyiv to urge Elon Musk last month to disable unauthorised Russian terminals.
Military observers said the move disrupted systems on both sides. The US-based Institute for the Study of War assessed that the shutdown likely facilitated a swift, localised Ukrainian advance in the southern Zaporizhzhia region in early February.
Air defences
The proliferation of drones has forced a reassessment of air defence strategies. Using sophisticated missiles costing millions to intercept comparatively inexpensive drones is financially unsustainable.
Alongside electronic jamming, Ukraine has developed low-cost interceptor drones specifically designed to destroy hostile craft mid-air.
“We opened the chapter of the war of drones with drones,” said Marko Kushnir of General Cherry, a leading interceptor drone manufacturer.
Roads near the front are now fitted with protective netting intended to ensnare attacking drones, while lorries equipped with anti-drone cages and jamming systems move rapidly through exposed areas. Machine guns remain a last-resort defence.
Ukraine’s Western allies have increasingly studied Kyiv’s experience, particularly after Russian drones made repeated incursions into European airspace in recent months.
Artificial intelligence
Engineers are racing to integrate artificial intelligence into drone systems to enhance performance and strike accuracy.
Ukrainian firms, including The Fourth Law (TFL), say they have developed “terminal guidance” technology, enabling AI to assume control in the final moments before impact — a phase when signal loss frequently occurs.
The aim is to improve precision even if communications are disrupted.
“Russia and China are developing such technologies as well, and if our countries do not, we will fall behind,” said TFL’s Maksym Savanevskyi.
Full autonomy, however, remains some distance away.
“AI is performing a supporting function rather than replacing humans,” Bondar said.
Eric Schmidt, former chief executive of Google and now head of SwiftBeat — which supplies AI-enabled drones to Ukraine’s armed forces — cautioned against expectations of fully automated warfare.
“I thought you could simply remove people from combat systems and automate everything. That was naïve,” he told a conference in Kyiv. “For the foreseeable future, you will have drones first, people second.”
On the eastern front, Koleso maintained that infantry would always remain indispensable.
“Until you plant the flag yourself, with your own hands, and secure the position, it cannot truly be yours,” he said.
