The world has been witnessing a new phase of evolving drone warfare, as Russia has now begun employing relatively affordable unarmed drones to force Ukraine into disclosing the locations of its air defense assets. These deceptive new drones are made from cheaper materials such as plywood and foam plastic and have reportedly been used in five Russian strikes over the past two to three weeks, according to Ukrainian intelligence official Andriy Cherniak, cited by Reuters. One version of these drones uses a camera and a mobile phone SIM card to transmit imagery back to its operator.
One of the key weapons in Russia’s arsenal during the ongoing Ukraine conflict is the Iranian Shahed kamikaze drone, which dives into ground targets and explodes. In what appears to be an enhancement of their military alliance with Iran, these new drones are designed to resemble Shaheds but generally do not carry explosives; however, some have been believed to carry small charges. The Ukrainian soldiers are unable to differentiate between these decoy drones and the genuine Shaheds, compelling them to open fire on what they believe are aerial threats. In doing so, they reveal their positions to the camera-equipped drones, which are usually deployed alongside genuine Shaheds.
They identify where our mobile groups are positioned, where the machine guns are that can destroy them. They’re trying. to get a picture of where all our air defenses are located,” Cherniak explained. These mock Shaheds prove to be more cost-effective for Russia; it is estimated that they spend as little as $10,000 on each one, compared to the $30,000 to $50,000 a real Shahed might cost. Furthermore, these imitation drones not only help reveal Ukrainian air defenses but also compel Ukraine to expend valuable ammunition resources.
US-supplied Patriot air defense missiles cost approximately $4 million each, making the trade-off of using them against $50,000 drones a significant drain on resources for Ukraine. Although the US Department of Defense has been willing to make such an imbalance in order to knock down Shaheds launched by Iran as retaliation for Israeli attacks on Iranian diplomatic facilities in Syria, Ukraine understands the importance of economizing its resources and emphasizes using mobile teams armed with older types of anti-aircraft weapons, including machine guns.
Russia has been using drones to target Ukrainian energy infrastructure. A recent attack focused on two regions between Kiev and its Russian border, resulting in over 68,000 customers losing power. The Ukrainian military claimed that it was able to shoot down 20 of the 22 drones deployed that night. Even if this claim is true, it highlights the formidable power of a relatively low-cost swarm of drones that cannot be entirely defeated. This strategy has significantly eroded Ukraine’s energy self-sufficiency, leading it to initiate a major electricity import program from the European Union.
Of course, Ukraine is deploying kamikaze drones of its own, as evidenced by a recent successful attack on a major Russian refinery. Dozens of Ukrainian drones were launched with the objective of crippling Russia’s energy infrastructure, and one of the impacts was captured in dramatic video footage. This illustrates the ongoing battle between the two countries involving drone warfare, where both sides are utilizing these unmanned aircraft to achieve their strategic objectives.
