How drones helped defeat Russian assault
The kamikaze drones funded by the Censor.NET and Yurii Butusov communities helped defeat large-scale enemy attacks near Urozhayne two weeks ago. This battle showed how crucial drones have become for Ukraine.
On 28 September, the Ukrainian military used a swarm of drones and artillery to break up an enemy assault by several tanks and mechanized companies attempting to regain control of Urozhayne.
According to military records and drone video, at least eight enemy tanks and three armored vehicles were destroyed (others damaged) after being hit one after another in an open field by Ukrainian drones and artillery.
After a long day of fierce fighting, which began around 4:30 a.m., Russian losses were about 30 killed and another 100 wounded.
A key role in repelling the assault was played by the Bulava FPV unit and aerial reconnaissance of the 3rd Mechanised Battalion of the Bohdan Khmelnytsky Separate Presidential Brigade.
"Our drones flew non-stop"
"The enemy was advancing in several columns. Their infantry was being slaughtered like meat," says the volunteer who delivered the drones to the guys. "Our FPV drones were flying non-stop. The soldiers say they were drenched in sweat. All enemy equipment was destroyed or damaged. The enemy tried to pull away some of the damaged equipment, but our guys finished them off."
Late the same evening, the reinforcement fighters received a new batch of Dyki Shershni [Wild Hornets] drones (purchased with your donations) to the Bulava unit to replenish their supplies. (Censor.NET is raising funds for Dyki Shershni [Wild Hornets], and I am also helping.)
The second assault: The situation is critical
The new batch of Dyki Shershni [Wild Hornets] FPV drones came in handy a few days later, when Russian forces launched another large-scale assault in the same location. During the second attack, the enemy outnumbered Ukrainian forces several times, said Arkas, commander of the 8th Company of the 3rd Mechanised Battalion of the Separate Presidential Brigade, which bore the brunt of the attack.
"The situation was critical," he said in a post on Telegram.
Arkas described how the second attack was suppressed by the "brilliant work" of aerial reconnaissance man Shakhmatist, who helped to direct fire from 30mm AGS-17 automatic grenade launchers, 73mm SPG-9 easel mounted anti-tank grenade launchers, 40mm MK-19 automatic grenade launchers, artillery and drones (including Dyki Shershni [Wild Hornets]).
Later, the OPBr published footage showing how one group of enemy infantry approached Ukrainian positions to the distance of a football field, and then came under a storm of fire, and the survivors decided to flee.
The 8th Company suffered no losses.
Pilots nominated for awards
Two Bulava pilots have been nominated for military awards for their actions on 28 September.
A video released shows a Bulava unit using Dyki Shershni [Wild Hornets] on 28 September to hit four tanks and three armoured vehicles. Artillery and other UAV units also damaged or destroyed some of these vehicles.
It was a record-breaking day for the Dyki Shershni [Wild Hornets]. These events opened many people's eyes to what our Ukrainian drones are capable of.
In addition to the Bulava unit, the Ukrainian forces that took part in the battle on 28 September included the following:reconnaissance unit of the 3rd Mechanised Battalion, separate mechanized brigade
- artillery of the 58th Separate Motorised Infantry Brigade
- 1st rsp, 20th Separate Special Forces Battalion
- assault company of the 710th Brigade
- Birds of Magyara division
Ukrainian troops liberated Urozhayne in mid-August and have been destroying enemy equipment and manpower south of the village ever since.
Drones are critical for Ukraine's defence
The battle near Urozhayne shows how critical tactical drones have become for Ukraine's defence. Most of them are funded by donations, including from soldiers themselves, and often the drones are purchased by volunteers or made by them in cottage industry in offices and garages.
During one week, 4-11 September, drones were responsible for 25 per cent of all military equipment lost to the enemy in the war - including 42 per cent of tanks and 47 per cent of armoured vehicles, according to the Ukrainian Armed Forces and Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
Small commercially available drones are the most cost-effective weapon for destroying enemy equipment and manpower, according to an analysis by Forbes Ukraine correspondent Volodymyr Datsenko.
The FPV (first-person view) kamikaze drone is up to 30 times more cost-effective than artillery for destroying armour and gives a 175-fold return on investment, taking into account the cost of drones versus the cost of destroyed equipment, Datsenko found out.
In the case of the Dyki Shershni [Wild Hornets], these drones have destroyed about $55 million of enemy equipment and manpower since 1 August. During this period, 530 Dyki Shershni [Wild Hornets] have been sent to Ukrainian units, worth about $265,000. This is a 207-fold "return on investment" for donations.
In other words, every $1 donated to the Dyki Shershni [Wild Hornets] destroyed more than $200 of the enemy.
Without reconnaissance UAVs, the need for shells would have tripled
Ukraine also relies heavily on reconnaissance UAVs for artillery strikes, said Seth Cropsey, a former deputy undersecretary of the US Navy, in an article for the Wall Street Journal in August.
"Ukraine's munitions use is dependent on its UAV reconnaissance system," he wrote, noting that without the accuracy of drone strikes, the West would need to supply Ukraine with three to four times as many rounds per month and an additional 1,000 artillery barrels.
Long-range Ukrainian-made drones are also wreaking havoc in Russia and occupied Crimea, hitting airbases, naval installations, ships and other high value targets up to 700 km from the Ukrainian border.
Allies slow to embrace UAVs
But because of the war, Ukraine has only limited (though rapidly increasing) capacity to mass-produce its own drones. Ukraine is producing only a tenth of the 25,000 FPV drones it needs per month, Yuriy Kasyanov, an officer in the Ukrainian Armed Forces and commander of a strike drone unit, told the BBC in September.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's Western allies seem to be slow to grasp the reality of drone warfare. Ukrainian soldiers undergoing training in NATO countries have repeatedly pointed to a lack of awareness and instruction from Western instructors about drones and digital tools that Ukrainian soldiers consider as important as a rifle or a shovel.
On the other hand, Russia has announced plans to produce drones on an industrial scale and, according to some reports, is catching up with Ukraine in the use of tactical UAVs.
Soldiers ask for more drones
"The war in Ukraine should be a wake-up call for NATO allies," the Centre for European Policy Analysis said in a report titled "The Urgent Question of Drones" in September.
"Russia's war in Ukraine has shown how important drones are in modern warfare. NATO must adapt quickly."
In Kyiv, where the volunteers of the Dyki Shershni [Wild Hornets] Charitable Foundation work 24/7 to prepare new drones for the frontline, they agree: "We get calls from the Ukrainian military every day asking for more drones. We need many more drones. They save the lives of our people."
Join the collection for the Dyki Shershni [Wild Hornets]:
Mono-bank: https://send.monobank.ua/jar/E5kHzqvBb
PrivatBank: 4731219611037825
PayPal: [email protected]
Alex Rozlyn is an award-winning Ukrainian-Canadian journalist and author who is writing a book about the war. He was president of the board of the Canadian Centre for Investigative Journalism. He tweets about the war at @ArmedMaidan.
