The Ukraine War is a Drone War: Video footage shared online this week showed how Ukrainian troops have taken improved munitions to a new level. A video clip shows how troops used an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to drop at least ten grenades on a Russian position from above.
Videos like this have emerged before, showing Ukrainian troops dropping single grenades and other munitions from consumer-grade drones – including those manufactured by DJI – on Russian positions. Frequently, the strikes have little impact. Either the grenades miss their intended target, or the blast does little to hurt Russian vehicles or weapons – but in this most recent video, a much larger blast can be seen.
Ukraine Weapons Tracker shared the footage on Twitter on Friday, which was recorded from the drone and shows the grenades landing on a Russian position below.
In a post, the popular English-language war tracking account described the attack as “drone carpet bombing.”
“Ever heard of drone carpet bombing?” the post reads.
“We have all seen Ukrainian commercial drones dropping grenades or improvised munitions- but this one can drop 10 or more, with dramatic effect.”
Ukrainian troops don’t just rely on UAVs to drop grenades on Russian positions, however. The devices play an important role in helping Ukrainian troops analyze the battlefield and monitor Russian movement.
#Ukraine: Ever heard of drone carpet bombing? We have all seen Ukrainian commercial drones dropping grenades or improvised munitions- but this one can drop 10 or more, with dramatic effect. pic.twitter.com/buw4EuGdDO
— ?? Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) August 5, 2022
Ukraine Doubling Down On Drones
Ukraine has doubled down on its use of unmanned aerial vehicles on the battlefield, having raised more than $20 million from overseas donation drives.
The country’s “Army of Drones” initiative received most of its donations from the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Switzerland, Israel, and Australia, and will use the funds to purchase drones that can be used for both surveillance and munition strikes. The campaign also called for direct donations of consumer-grade drones which can be turned into improvised weapons.
Donations can be made via the United24 website, which gives users an option to donate money to Ukraine or to donate a drone. The website promises to use the funds to “Buy drones for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd front lines, coordinating procurement with the military.”
“Our priority is buying 200 tactical unmanned aerial reconnaissance vehicles. These ‘birds’ can fly up to 24 hours, up to 160 km, at an altitude of up to 5 km. They are equipped with several thermographic cameras with GPS modules and mapping software,” the site continues.
Justin Bronk of the Royal United Services Institute told the BBC that Ukraine and Russia are becoming increasingly reliant on the devices to “very rapidly exploit” real-time imagery in the war.
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
