It’s a new kind of war. In the “kill zone” of Ukraine, surveillance and attack drones swarm the skies, hunting anything that moves.
There’s no more massing of troops and artillery. Instead, soldiers on both sides hide for months at a time in tiny, isolated foxholes to survive.
Soldiers move in small groups to dodge detection, often on foot or motorbike. Even then, the drones hunt them mercilessly. Casualties are staggering.
Our immersive reconstruction will take you deep into the kill zone, a strip of land about 30 km (20 miles) wide in some places that straddles the line of contact. In this hellscape, buildings lie in ruins and trees are shredded.
A terrifying game of hide-and-seek is playing out in this deadly corridor that snakes along the 1,200 km-long (750-mile) front line in Ukraine.
The war, well into its fifth year, has become the first major conflict to be dominated by unmanned aerial vehicles, with thousands of the cheap but deadly machines filling the skies.
Ukraine and invader Russia are constantly advancing the new technology, which is transforming modern warfare. Both sides have had to abandon age-old tactics of gathering troops, vehicles and artillery in a relatively compressed area along the front lines. Such visible targets are easy prey for drones.
Instead, teams as small as two to three soldiers hide in tiny dugouts hollowed under the ground, scattered across a huge kill zone extending many kilometres on either side of the line of contact between the two sides. Infantrymen often act as lookouts, avoiding direct engagement that could give away their position, instead calling in drones to do the killing, said an officer in leading Ukrainian drone brigade Madyar’s Birds, who goes by the callsign Silhouette.
Drones are guided by pilots hiding in the kill zone or further away who fly them using video game-style controls. Many are first-person view (FPV) craft, allowing the pilot to see the scene from the drone’s perspective in real time. They are controlled either through radio signals or via long, ultra-fine fibre optic cables stretching behind the drones.
Russian hedgehog tank struck by bomber drones
Russian forces entering Pokrovsk
Ukrainian drones targeting Russian military hardware
Ukrainian drones flying into a soldier
Ukrainian drones targeting Russian military hardware
Ukrainian drones targeting a Russian tank
This graphical illustration is the most detailed reconstruction yet of the new breed of battlefront. It will take you into the kill zone via a “fly-over” that starts 15 km inside Russian-held territory before heading to the contact line between the two sides and then 15 km further into Ukrainian-held land.
KILL ZONE
30 km of deadly drone threat
CRIMEA
Russian-held
territory
Ukrainian-held
territory
UKRAINE
Kharkiv
KILL ZONE
A 30 km strip where drones make any movement lethal.
CRIMEA
Russian-held
territory
Ukrainian-held
territory
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Kyiv
KILL ZONE
A 30 km strip where drones make any movement lethal.
Ukrainian-held
territory
Russian-held
territory
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Kyiv
Map of Ukraine highlighting Russian-occupied territory and the front line. A 30-kilometre-wide “kill zone” along the battlefield illustrates how pervasive drone surveillance can make nearly any movement visible and potentially lethal.
15km
0km
15km
Russian held
Ukrainian held
15km
0km
15km
Russian held territory
Ukrainian held territory
15km
0km
15km
Russian held territory
Ukrainian held territory
A 30-kilometre-wide “kill zone” along the battlefield illustrates how pervasive drone surveillance can make nearly any movement visible and potentially lethal.
The illustration isn’t a recreation of any particular stretch of the front but features a concentration of scenes from multiple sectors that show how the armies operate and engage. It is based on dozens of first-hand accounts from Ukrainian soldiers, drone pilots and commanders, as well as interviews with military experts and hundreds of battlefield videos posted online by units on both sides.
Reuters was unable to interview members of Russia’s military for this article because of tight restrictions in Russia on reporting the conflict. The Russian defence ministry did not respond to questions about the changing nature of the battlefield.
The Russian-held side of the fly-over focuses more on attacks and Ukraine’s attempts to thwart them, reflecting the dominant dynamic of the battlefield over the last two years. The Ukrainian side focuses on supply lines, rotations and evacuations.
Gaining ground is perilous, often involving huge risk for minimal territory, helping explain how Ukraine has been able to slow Russian advances significantly over the past year despite being outnumbered and outgunned by conventional weapons.
The furthermost Russian assault troops often seek to avoid contact
with enemy forces. They attempt to gain defendable positions inside Ukrainian-held territory
and wait for comrades to join them.
Russian troops who make it this far probe Ukrainian defences in tiny
groups of typically one to three soldiers.
A soldierspotted by a dronehas little chance of survival. Even abandoned
trenches offer little cover.
What armour there is remains heavily camouflaged. This tank, which would fire only sparingly to avoid detection, has a "Mad
Max"-style cage to protect it from drones.
Burned-out tanks litter roads and tracks in the kill zone, relics of battles earlier in the war. The dominance of drones has made
traditional armoured vehicles almost obsolete this close to the line of contact.
The closer to the enemy you are, the greater the saturation of drones. Nowhere is safe.
Vehicles delivering supplies to troops are at grave risk. They speed to their task and speed away. Electronic jammers are used to try to disrupt incoming drones' link to their remote pilots, rendering them useless.
The skies above buzz with various types of attack drones hunting prey. They may drop bombs or fly directly into a target and explode, kamikaze-style.
Russian drone units are dotted across the kill zone. These pilot crews are prime targets and remain underground. They emerge
only briefly to launch drones.
Russian positions might be hidden in basements at this distance, while command posts led by more senior officers are further
back from the kill zone.
Artillery is dug in and camouflaged. Though
used more sparingly than earlier in the war, artillery still serves as a
reliable, all‑weather precision tool. Enemy drones hunt these positions.
Closer to enemy-held territory, small Russian assault teams of two to three soldiers foray forward,
on foot, motorcycles or quad bikes, often exploiting fog or bad weather which reduces drones' effectiveness.
But the dangers are extreme. Drones outpace vehicles in the kill zone, and thousands of videos posted by units on both sides show soldiers on
foot or on motorbikes being hunted and killed.
The furthermost Russian assault troops often seek to avoid contact
with enemy forces. They attempt to gain defendable positions inside Ukrainian-held territory
and wait for comrades to join them.
Russian troops who make it this far probe Ukrainian defences in tiny
groups of typically one to three soldiers.
A soldierspotted by a dronehas little chance of survival. Even abandoned
trenches offer little cover.
What armour there is remains heavily camouflaged. This tank, which would fire only sparingly to avoid detection, has a "Mad
Max"-style cage to protect it from drones.
Burned-out tanks litter roads and tracks in the kill zone, relics of battles earlier in the war. The dominance of drones has made
traditional armoured vehicles almost obsolete this close to the line of contact.
The closer to the enemy you are, the greater the saturation of drones. Nowhere is safe.
Vehicles delivering supplies to troops are at grave risk. They speed to their task and speed away. Electronic jammers are used to try to disrupt incoming drones' link to their remote pilots, rendering them useless.
The skies above buzz with various types of attack drones hunting prey. They may drop bombs or fly directly into a target and explode, kamikaze-style.
Russian drone units are dotted across the kill zone. These pilot crews are prime targets and remain underground. They emerge
only briefly to launch drones.
Russian positions might be hidden in basements at this distance, while command posts led by more senior officers are further
back from the kill zone.
Artillery is dug in and camouflaged. Though
used more sparingly than earlier in the war, artillery still serves as a
reliable, all‑weather precision tool. Enemy drones hunt these positions.
Closer to enemy-held territory, small Russian assault teams of two to three soldiers foray forward,
on foot, motorcycles or quad bikes, often exploiting fog or bad weather which reduces drones' effectiveness.
But the dangers are extreme. Drones outpace vehicles in the kill zone, and thousands of videos posted by units on both sides show soldiers on
foot or on motorbikes being hunted and killed.
Artillery carrier
Abandoned
trenches
Fog and rain
Russian position
FPV drones
Bomber
drone
Fibre optic
drones
Winged
strike drone
Russian
drone unit
Drone-jamming
system
Bomber
drone
FPV drones
Hidden tank
Fibre optic
drone
Russian artillery
position
Surveillance
drone
Russian
bikers
Ukrainian
foxhole
Closer to enemy-held territory, small Russian assault teams of two to three soldiers foray forward,
on foot, motorcycles or quad bikes, often exploiting fog or bad weather which reduces drones' effectiveness.
The furthermost Russian assault troops often seek to avoid contact
with enemy forces. They attempt to gain defendable positions inside Ukrainian-held territory
and wait for comrades to join them.
Russian troops who make it this far probe Ukrainian defences in tiny
groups of typically one to three soldiers.
What armour there is remains heavily camouflaged. This tank, which would fire only sparingly to avoid detection, has a "Mad
Max"-style cage to protect it from drones.
A soldierspotted by a dronehas little chance of survival. Even abandoned
trenches offer little cover.
Burned-out tanks litter roads and tracks in the kill zone, relics of battles earlier in the war. The dominance of drones has made
traditional armoured vehicles almost obsolete this close to the line of contact.
The closer to the enemy you are, the greater the saturation of drones. Nowhere is safe.
Vehicles delivering supplies to troops are at grave risk. They speed to their task and speed away. Electronic jammers are used to try to disrupt incoming drones' link to their remote pilots, rendering them useless.
The skies above buzz with various types of attack drones hunting prey. They may drop bombs or fly directly into a target and explode, kamikaze-style.
Russian drone units are dotted across the kill zone. These pilot crews are prime targets and remain underground. They emerge
only briefly to launch drones.
Russian positions might be hidden in basements at this distance, while command posts led by more senior officers are further
back from the kill zone.
Artillery is dug in and camouflaged. Though
used more sparingly than earlier in the war, artillery still serves as a
reliable, all‑weather precision tool. Enemy drones hunt these positions.
But the dangers are extreme. Drones outpace vehicles in the kill zone, and thousands of videos posted by units on both sides show soldiers on
foot or on motorbikes being hunted and killed.
The furthermost Russian assault troops often seek to avoid contact
with enemy forces. They attempt to gain defendable positions inside Ukrainian-held territory
and wait for comrades to join them.
Russian troops who make it this far probe Ukrainian defences in tiny
groups of typically one to three soldiers.
Burned-out tanks litter roads and tracks in the kill zone, relics of battles earlier in the war. The dominance of drones has made
traditional armoured vehicles almost obsolete this close to the line of contact.
A soldierspotted by a dronehas little chance of survival. Even abandoned
trenches offer little cover.
Vehicles delivering supplies to troops are at grave risk. They speed to their task and speed away. Electronic jammers are used to try to disrupt incoming drones' link to their remote pilots, rendering them useless.
The closer to the enemy you are, the greater the saturation of drones. Nowhere is safe.
The skies above buzz with various types of attack drones hunting prey. They may drop bombs or fly directly into a target and explode, kamikaze-style.
Russian positions might be hidden in basements at this distance, while command posts led by more senior officers are further
back from the kill zone.
Russian drone units are dotted across the kill zone. These pilot crews are prime targets and remain underground. They emerge
only briefly to launch drones.
Artillery is dug in and camouflaged. Though
used more sparingly than earlier in the war, artillery still serves as a
reliable, all‑weather precision tool. Enemy drones hunt these positions.
Closer to enemy-held territory, small Russian assault teams of two to three soldiers foray forward,
on foot, motorcycles or quad bikes, often exploiting fog or bad weather which reduces drones' effectiveness.
What armour there is remains heavily camouflaged. This tank, which would fire only sparingly to avoid detection, has a "Mad
Max"-style cage to protect it from drones.
But the dangers are extreme. Drones outpace vehicles in the kill zone, and thousands of videos posted by units on both sides show soldiers on
foot or on motorbikes being hunted and killed.
The furthermost Russian assault troops often seek to avoid contact
with enemy forces. They attempt to gain defendable positions inside Ukrainian-held territory
and wait for comrades to join them.
Russian troops who make it this far probe Ukrainian defences in tiny
groups of typically one to three soldiers.
Burned-out tanks litter roads and tracks in the kill zone, relics of battles earlier in the war. The dominance of drones has made
traditional armoured vehicles almost obsolete this close to the line of contact.
A soldierspotted by a dronehas little chance of survival. Even abandoned
trenches offer little cover.
Vehicles delivering supplies to troops are at grave risk. They speed to their task and speed away. Electronic jammers are used to try to disrupt incoming drones' link to their remote pilots, rendering them useless.
The closer to the enemy you are, the greater the saturation of drones. Nowhere is safe.
The skies above buzz with various types of attack drones hunting prey. They may drop bombs or fly directly into a target and explode, kamikaze-style.
Russian positions might be hidden in basements at this distance, while command posts led by more senior officers are further
back from the kill zone.
Russian drone units are dotted across the kill zone. These pilot crews are prime targets and remain underground. They emerge
only briefly to launch drones.
Artillery is dug in and camouflaged. Though
used more sparingly than earlier in the war, artillery still serves as a
reliable, all‑weather precision tool. Enemy drones hunt these positions.
Closer to enemy-held territory, small Russian assault teams of two to three soldiers foray forward,
on foot, motorcycles or quad bikes, often exploiting fog or bad weather which reduces drones' effectiveness.
What armour there is remains heavily camouflaged. This tank, which would fire only sparingly to avoid detection, has a "Mad
Max"-style cage to protect it from drones.
But the dangers are extreme. Drones outpace vehicles in the kill zone, and thousands of videos posted by units on both sides show soldiers on
foot or on motorbikes being hunted and killed.
Surveillance
drone
Russian artillery
position
FPV drones
Russian position
Bomber
drone
Fibre optic
drones
Russian
drone unit
Winged
strike drone
Bomber
drone
Drone-jamming
system
FPV drones
Russian
bikers
Hidden tank
Fibre optic
drones
Ukrainian foxhole
Artillery
carrier
Abandoned
trenches
Fog and rain
A 3D flyover of the 15 kilometres of territory behind Russian front-line positions. The scene reveals artillery batteries, drone launch sites, trenches, and other military infrastructure under continuous drone surveillance. The visualization shows how the widespread threat from reconnaissance, bomber, and FPV drones has pushed Russian forces to carry out attacks in small teams and fast motorcycle infiltrations to avoid being detected and struck from the air.
How far the kill zone extends at any given stretch of the front depends on numerous factors, including the quality of the drone units there and the landscape. The days of heavy mechanised manoeuvres are over; a drone costing a few thousand dollars can disable a tank worth millions. Long trenches open to the skies have become obsolete. Fibre optic cables trailing behinddrones settle upon the landscape like spider webs.
Fibre optic cables in Lyman
Ukrainians shoot down a drone just before it hits them
Ukrainian pickup truck destroyed by a Russian FPV drone
Anti-drone netting set ablaze by a Russian drone
Soldier attacking Ukrainian positions with an anti-tank mine
Russian drone shoots down Ukrainian drone
Russian forces mainly gain territory by infiltrating Ukraine’s porous defences. Low cloud and heavy fog can act as cover. Ukraine does not have enough soldiers, so its infantry is thinly scattered, leaving wide gaps to sneak through.
If soldiers find an empty building or bunker in Ukrainian-held territory, they may wait there for several days while another Russian tries to join them, followed by another. “Over 10 days, you end up with five Russian soldiers inside. That’s it – they’ve taken a position,” said Roman Polishchuk, deputy commander of Ukraine’s Liut brigade.
Casualties are massive, with the vast majority now caused by drones. The Center for Strategic & International Studies estimates around 2 million soldiers since early 2022 have been killed, wounded or are missing, 1.4 million of them Russian.
A deputy battalion commander in Ukraine’s 59th Assault Brigade, with the callsign Prime, described relentless pursuits: “If a drone spots an infantryman, it won’t let him go.”
In the age of drone warfare, pilots themselves are prized targets, said Danylo Polozhukhno, deputy commander of Ukraine’s Kraken unmanned systems regiment: “We find them and destroy them.”
Ukrainian-held territory
15km
0km
15km
Russian held
Ukrainian held
15km
0km
15km
Russian held territory
Ukrainian held territory
15km
0km
15km
Russian held territory
Ukrainian held territory
Cheap, lightweight Molniya, or “Lightning”, drones can
fly up to 50 km, pushing back what used to be considered a relatively safe distance from
the contact line.
Russian FPV drones can fly though holes in the netting to get inside the safety tunnel, leaving vehicles exposed to attack.
A Russian FPV drone chased Meskov and two comrades into a building and exploded, shattering his knee. The men hid as the building was pounded. On
the second night Meskov was carried to an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) and
taken to safety.
Darkness does not guarantee safety, as drones can have thermal-imaging
cameras. The UGV took Meskov about 2 km before an ambulance picked him up and sped him out of the kill zone.
Here three men share a tiny camouflaged foxhole, although that number can be two or even a single soldier. They cook, sleep
and wait underground, emerging only rarely, including to engage Russian infiltrators.
Ukraine has covered thousands of kilometres of roads with anti‑drone
netting to protect vehicles far from the enemy. Even here, drivers move fast —
drones remain a constant menace.
Enemy drones drop mines along supply and evacuation routes, while “sleeper” drones lie in wait beside roads, activating
when they detect approaching targets.
Artillery remains an important weapon, especially when drones are hampered by low visibility. Russia’s “KAB” guided aerial bombs, which carry heavy payloads, have caused devastation in the kill zone and
beyond.
Pick-up trucks move soldiers or supplies to positions near the rear of the battlefield. They are equipped with jamming antennae and
carry out their tasks speedily before escaping the kill zone.
Ukrainian troops on lookout in foxholes rely on drones to receive supplies. Russia uses infiltration tactics to creep past the enemy. What was once a clearly defined front line is now a fluid “grey zone”.
Only a few Ukrainian vehicles come this close to the front. Soldiers sometimes carry shotguns for shooting at enemy drones to give
them a better chance of survival.
Winter offers limited cover, making movement difficult. Once foliage returns, both sides try to use it to their advantage, although the risks remain high. Hand-held drone detectors, which can scan
radio frequencies to alert users to the presence of a UAV, are common.
To counter electronic jamming, both sides use fibre‑optic drones connected to their operators via a fine cable. These drones can fly 15 km or more and leave trails of threads in their
wake.
Leaving the battlefield can take days, as
drones hunt for prey. The episode illustrated here was recounted by Andriy
Meskov, a 42-year-old Ukrainian drone pilot who was wounded last year.
Landmines
Landmines
Ukrainian
infantry position
Fiber-optic
drones
Guided glide
bomb
Vehicle with electronic
warfare protection
Underground
Foxhole
Russian fibre-optic drone
Sleeper
drones
Unmaned
Ground
Vehicle
Ambulance
Soldiers
FPV drones
Supply
drone
Ukrainian
soldiers
Ukraine
assault unit
Russian low-cost
drone (Molniya)
Spool
Fibre cable
Battery
Food and
medicines
Anti-drone
netting
Hole
Warhead
Cheap, lightweight Molniya, or “Lightning”, drones can
fly up to 50 km, pushing back what used to be considered a relatively safe distance from
the contact line.
Russian FPV drones can fly though holes in the netting to get inside the safety tunnel, leaving vehicles exposed to attack.
A Russian FPV drone chased Meskov and two comrades into a building and exploded, shattering his knee. The men hid as the building was pounded. On
the second night Meskov was carried to an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) and
taken to safety.
Darkness does not guarantee safety, as drones can have thermal-imaging
cameras. The UGV took Meskov about 2 km before an ambulance picked him up and sped him out of the kill zone.
Here three men share a tiny camouflaged foxhole, although that number can be two or even a single soldier. They cook, sleep
and wait underground, emerging only rarely, including to engage Russian infiltrators.
Ukraine has covered thousands of kilometres of roads with anti‑drone
netting to protect vehicles far from the enemy. Even here, drivers move fast —
drones remain a constant menace.
Enemy drones drop mines along supply and evacuation routes, while “sleeper” drones lie in wait beside roads, activating
when they detect approaching targets.
Artillery remains an important weapon, especially when drones are hampered by low visibility. Russia’s “KAB” guided aerial bombs, which carry heavy payloads, have caused devastation in the kill zone and
beyond.
Pick-up trucks move soldiers or supplies to positions near the rear of the battlefield. They are equipped with jamming antennae and
carry out their tasks speedily before escaping the kill zone.
Ukrainian troops on lookout in foxholes rely on drones to receive supplies. Russia uses infiltration tactics to creep past the enemy. What was once a clearly defined front line is now a fluid “grey zone”.
Only a few Ukrainian vehicles come this close to the front. Soldiers sometimes carry shotguns for shooting at enemy drones to give
them a better chance of survival.
Winter offers limited cover, making movement difficult. Once foliage returns, both sides try to use it to their advantage, although the risks remain high. Hand-held drone detectors, which can scan
radio frequencies to alert users to the presence of a UAV, are common.
To counter electronic jamming, both sides use fibre‑optic drones connected to their operators via a fine cable. These drones can fly 15 km or more and leave trails of threads in their
wake.
Leaving the battlefield can take days, as
drones hunt for prey. The episode illustrated here was recounted by Andriy
Meskov, a 42-year-old Ukrainian drone pilot who was wounded last year.
Landmines
Landmines
Ukrainian
infantry position
Fiber-optic
drones
Guided glide
bomb
Vehicle with electronic
warfare protection
Underground
Foxhole
Russian fibre-optic drone
Sleeper
drones
Unmaned
Ground
Vehicle
Ambulance
Soldiers
FPV drones
Supply
drone
Ukrainian
soldiers
Ukraine
assault unit
Russian low-cost
drone (Molniya)
Spool
Fibre cable
Battery
Food and
medicines
Anti-drone
netting
Hole
Warhead
Cheap, lightweight Molniya, or “Lightning”, drones can
fly up to 50 km, pushing back what used to be considered a relatively safe distance from
the contact line.
Russian FPV drones can fly though holes in the netting to get inside the safety tunnel, leaving vehicles exposed to attack.
A Russian FPV drone chased Meskov and two comrades into a building and exploded, shattering his knee. The men hid as the building was pounded. On
the second night Meskov was carried to an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) and
taken to safety.
Darkness does not guarantee safety, as drones can have thermal-imaging
cameras. The UGV took Meskov about 2 km before an ambulance picked him up and sped him out of the kill zone.
Here three men share a tiny camouflaged foxhole, although that number can be two or even a single soldier. They cook, sleep
and wait underground, emerging only rarely, including to engage Russian infiltrators.
Ukraine has covered thousands of kilometres of roads with anti‑drone
netting to protect vehicles far from the enemy. Even here, drivers move fast —
drones remain a constant menace.
Enemy drones drop mines along supply and evacuation routes, while “sleeper” drones lie in wait beside roads, activating
when they detect approaching targets.
Artillery remains an important weapon, especially when drones are hampered by low visibility. Russia’s “KAB” guided aerial bombs, which carry heavy payloads, have caused devastation in the kill zone and
beyond.
Pick-up trucks move soldiers or supplies to positions near the rear of the battlefield. They are equipped with jamming antennae and
carry out their tasks speedily before escaping the kill zone.
Ukrainian troops on lookout in foxholes rely on drones to receive supplies. Russia uses infiltration tactics to creep past the enemy. What was once a clearly defined front line is now a fluid “grey zone”.
Only a few Ukrainian vehicles come this close to the front. Soldiers sometimes carry shotguns for shooting at enemy drones to give
them a better chance of survival.
Winter offers limited cover, making movement difficult. Once foliage returns, both sides try to use it to their advantage, although the risks remain high. Hand-held drone detectors, which can scan
radio frequencies to alert users to the presence of a UAV, are common.
To counter electronic jamming, both sides use fibre‑optic drones connected to their operators via a fine cable. These drones can fly 15 km or more and leave trails of threads in their
wake.
Leaving the battlefield can take days, as
drones hunt for prey. The episode illustrated here was recounted by Andriy
Meskov, a 42-year-old Ukrainian drone pilot who was wounded last year.
Landmines
Landmines
Ukrainian
infantry position
Fiber-optic
drones
Guided glide
bomb
Vehicle with electronic
warfare protection
Underground
Foxhole
Russian fibre-optic drone
Sleeper
drones
Unmaned
Ground
Vehicle
Ambulance
Soldiers
FPV drones
Supply
drone
Ukrainian
soldiers
Ukraine
assault unit
Russian low-cost
drone (Molniya)
Spool
Fibre cable
Battery
Food and
medicines
Anti-drone
netting
Hole
Warhead
Enemy drones drop mines along supply and evacuation routes, while “sleeper” drones lie in wait beside roads, activating
when they detect approaching targets.
Darkness does not guarantee safety, as drones can have thermal-imaging
cameras. The UGV took Meskov about 2 km before an ambulance picked him up and sped him out of the kill zone.
A Russian FPV drone chased Meskov and two comrades into a building and exploded, shattering his knee. The men hid as the building was pounded. On
the second night Meskov was carried to an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) and
taken to safety.
Russian FPV drones can fly though holes in the netting to get inside the safety tunnel, leaving vehicles exposed to attack.
Ukraine has covered thousands of kilometres of roads with anti‑drone
netting to protect vehicles far from the enemy. Even here, drivers move fast —
drones remain a constant menace.
Leaving the battlefield can take days, as
drones hunt for prey. The episode illustrated here was recounted by Andriy
Meskov, a 42-year-old Ukrainian drone pilot who was wounded last year.
To counter electronic jamming, both sides use fibre‑optic drones connected to their operators via a fine cable. These drones can fly 15 km or more and leave trails of threads in their
wake.
Here three men share a tiny camouflaged foxhole, although that number can be two or even a single soldier. They cook, sleep
and wait underground, emerging only rarely, including to engage Russian infiltrators.
Pick-up trucks move soldiers or supplies to positions near the rear of the battlefield. They are equipped with jamming antennae and
carry out their tasks speedily before escaping the kill zone.
Artillery remains an important weapon, especially when drones are hampered by low visibility. Russia’s “KAB” guided aerial bombs, which carry heavy payloads, have caused devastation in the kill zone and
beyond.
Only a few Ukrainian vehicles come this close to the front. Soldiers sometimes carry shotguns for shooting at enemy drones to give
them a better chance of survival.
Ukrainian troops on lookout in foxholes rely on drones to receive supplies. Russia uses infiltration tactics to creep past the enemy. What was once a clearly defined front line is now a fluid “grey zone”.
Winter offers limited cover, making movement difficult. Once foliage returns, both sides try to use it to their advantage, although the risks remain high. Hand-held drone detectors, which can scan
radio frequencies to alert users to the presence of a UAV, are common.
Cheap, lightweight Molniya, or “Lightning”, drones can
fly up to 50 km, pushing back what used to be considered a relatively safe distance from
the contact line.
Russian low-cost
drone (Molniya)
Landmines
Ukrainian
infantry position
Ukraine
assault unit
Guided glide
bomb
FPV drones
Fiber-optic
drones
Vehicle with electronic
warfare protection
Russian fibre-optic drone
Landmines
Sleeper
drones
Unmaned
Ground
Vehicle
Ambulance
Ukrainian
soldiers
Soldiers
Supply drone
Warhead
Hole
Spool
Fibre cable
Frame
Battery
Underground
Foxhole
Food and
medicines
Anti-drone
netting
Enemy drones drop mines along supply and evacuation routes, while “sleeper” drones lie in wait beside roads, activating
when they detect approaching targets.
Darkness does not guarantee safety, as drones can have thermal-imaging
cameras. The UGV took Meskov about 2 km before an ambulance picked him up and sped him out of the kill zone.
A Russian FPV drone chased Meskov and two comrades into a building and exploded, shattering his knee. The men hid as the building was pounded. On
the second night Meskov was carried to an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) and
taken to safety.
Russian FPV drones can fly though holes in the netting to get inside the safety tunnel, leaving vehicles exposed to attack.
Ukraine has covered thousands of kilometres of roads with anti‑drone
netting to protect vehicles far from the enemy. Even here, drivers move fast —
drones remain a constant menace.
Leaving the battlefield can take days, as
drones hunt for prey. The episode illustrated here was recounted by Andriy
Meskov, a 42-year-old Ukrainian drone pilot who was wounded last year.
To counter electronic jamming, both sides use fibre‑optic drones connected to their operators via a fine cable. These drones can fly 15 km or more and leave trails of threads in their
wake.
Here three men share a tiny camouflaged foxhole, although that number can be two or even a single soldier. They cook, sleep
and wait underground, emerging only rarely, including to engage Russian infiltrators.
Pick-up trucks move soldiers or supplies to positions near the rear of the battlefield. They are equipped with jamming antennae and
carry out their tasks speedily before escaping the kill zone.
Artillery remains an important weapon, especially when drones are hampered by low visibility. Russia’s “KAB” guided aerial bombs, which carry heavy payloads, have caused devastation in the kill zone and
beyond.
Only a few Ukrainian vehicles come this close to the front. Soldiers sometimes carry shotguns for shooting at enemy drones to give
them a better chance of survival.
Ukrainian troops on lookout in foxholes rely on drones to receive supplies. Russia uses infiltration tactics to creep past the enemy. What was once a clearly defined front line is now a fluid “grey zone”.
Winter offers limited cover, making movement difficult. Once foliage returns, both sides try to use it to their advantage, although the risks remain high. Hand-held drone detectors, which can scan
radio frequencies to alert users to the presence of a UAV, are common.
Cheap, lightweight Molniya, or “Lightning”, drones can
fly up to 50 km, pushing back what used to be considered a relatively safe distance from
the contact line.
Russian low-cost
drone (Molniya)
Landmines
Ukrainian
infantry position
Ukraine
assault unit
Guided glide
bomb
FPV drones
Fiber-optic
drones
Vehicle with electronic
warfare protection
Russian fibre-optic drone
Landmines
Sleeper
drones
Unmaned
Ground
Vehicle
Ambulance
Ukrainian
soldiers
Soldiers
Supply drone
Warhead
Hole
Spool
Fibre cable
Frame
Battery
Underground
Foxhole
Food and
medicines
Anti-drone
netting
A 3D flyover of the Ukrainian-controlled side of the front. The graphic shows a contested grey zone, defensive positions, drone attacks, and gaps in the line exploited by Russian infiltrators. It follows three soldiers struck by drones, the rescue of a wounded serviceman, and the growing battle between Ukrainian anti-drone road networks and Russian fibre-optic drones, while long-range drones continue to threaten areas far behind the front.
Sources for map: Institute for the Study of War (ISW) & AEI Critical Threats Project.
Video verification by Pola Grzanka, Fernando Robles, Tiffany Le, Maria Laguna and Vinaya K; Additional reporting by Dan Peleschuk; Editing by Pravin Char and Mike Collett-White
