Drone warfare in Ukraine: fibre-optic, demining drones and Russia's AI drone swarms
Four main stories of the week: Jan. 8 - Jan. 14, 2025
Since unmanned systems are among the most rapidly developing innovations in the context of the Russian war in Ukraine, I’ve decided they deserve a dedicated newsletter, which I’m excited to introduce: Drones Warfare in Ukraine!
Here are the four main stories I’ve selected for you from the past week, focusing on the largest Ukrainian drone/missile attack, UAS innovations in Ukraine (fibre-optic, demining drones), and Russia (AI drone swarms).
Ukraine launches one of largest drone attacks (multiple sources).
On the night of January 14, Ukraine carried out its largest drone and missile attack to date, targeting locations at distances up to 1,100 km (700 miles) deep inside Russia and causing damage to at least two factories.
The Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' Unmanned Systems confirmed a strike on the Bryansk Chemical Plant in the city of Seltso—a strategic facility of Russia's military-industrial complex. The plant produces gunpowder, explosives, and components for rocket fuel, including artillery ammunition, MLRS, aviation, X-59 cruise missiles, TOS-1 "Tosochka" weapons, the "Zemledelie" remote mining system, and also carries out major repairs of MLRS "Grad," "Uragan," and "Tornado-G."
This operation became a benchmark of coordination between intelligence, missile forces, rocket artillery, and unmanned systems. Drones successfully diverted Russian air defenses, clearing the way for missiles to accurately strike primary targets. Long-range UAVs followed up after the missile strike, destroying substations and other critical infrastructure.
Several key sites across Russia were hit during a joint special operation:
Aleksinsky Chemical Plant (Tula Region): SBU drones caused a major fire at the facility.
Engels Airfield (Saratov Region): Ammunition depots storing glide bombs and cruise missiles were struck. Fires from the drone strikes continue to burn.
Saratov Oil Refinery: A large-scale fire erupted after the attack.
Bryansk Chemical Plant: Direct missile hits triggered a massive fire and subsequent explosions.
A weapon entirely immune to jamming: How Ukraine is rolling out production of fibre-optic drones (Bohdan Miroshnychenko for Ukrainska Pravda).
During Ukraine’s most recent offensive campaign in Russia's Kursk Oblast in early January, Ukrainian electronic warfare (EW) equipment reportedly managed to bring down all Russian drones – except for fibre-optic ones. Recognizing their value, Ukraine quickly realized that fibre-optic drones are a critical asset for frontline operations. Currently, 25 Ukrainian engineering teams are developing their own models of these UAVs and components. Typically, it takes six months to a year for a solution tested on the front line to transition into a state-ordered product in Ukraine.
Russia has already begun mass-producing fibre-optic drones that are immune to EW jamming. These drones resemble conventional combat FPVs but feature a larger body and more powerful batteries to carry a multi-kilogram coil of wire, which unravels during flight. Small fibre-optic drones can operate at distances of up to 2 km, while larger models can reach up to 20 km. The most commonly cited disadvantages of fibre-optic drones are their limited range, smaller payload capacity, reduced manoeuvrability, high visibility in the air, cost, and the risk of the cable snapping
The spread of this technology has significantly benefited Chinese factories, which supply fibre-optic cable spools. Ukrainians recently discovered that one Chinese factory has been producing spools for Russia for the past seven months. Ukraine has since started purchasing from this same supplier.
Fibre-optic drones produced in Ukraine currently cost around 30,000 UAH (approximately $700 USD). Costs could decrease further if Ukrainian companies begin manufacturing fibre-optic spools domestically. It is expected that fibre-optic drones will remain a niche technology rather than being mass-produced in the millions. These drones are particularly effective against armored vehicles in defensive operations, perform well in foggy conditions, and are immune to vehicle-based electronic warfare systems.
At present, neither Ukraine nor Russia has effective countermeasures against these drones, presenting another challenge for Ukrainian engineers to address.
Forbes Ukraine published an article on the same topic, discussing how Ukrainian manufacturers have started producing fibre-optic FPV drones. Ukraine is still lagging behind the enemy. This is one of the few cases where the Russians were the first to apply the technology, and Ukraine is learning from them. Since October, the Russians have been using fibre-optic drones extensively on the Kursk front. The most common use of fibre-optic drones is for attacking enemy equipment. Ukrainian producer Vyriy began working on fibre-optic drones at the end of 2024. The number of teams developing fibre-optic drones in Ukraine is growing rapidly.
"The enemy doesn’t understand what it is." What Ukrainian robots, listed in the NATO catalog and significantly cheaper than Western counterparts, are doing on the frontlines (Interview with Boryz Drozhak, the co-founder of Ukrainian company Rovertech. Available in Ukrainian).
The company Rovertech, originating from the Lviv region, specializes in the development of ground-based robotic unmanned systems and has already launched several products. Among them are a demining drone Zmiiy and the unmanned armored platform Zmiiy Logistic.
In the fall of 2024, the Ukrainian unmanned demining vehicle with the striking name Zmiiy (Snake) successfully completed testing at a training ground, received a certificate of compliance, and was codified by the Ministry of Defense. The Zmiiy demining drone is used for various types of demining, including military applications. It is also employed for breakthrough operations during counteroffensives. The drone can cover up to 4 km per hour while in operation.
Through engineering ingenuity, the manufacturers achieved the capability for the small demining vehicle to handle even anti-tank mines, operate at the required depth, and remain intact. In comparison, large foreign counterparts typically cost around €1 million, while Zmiiy demining vehicle is priced at approximately $20,000. On average, the drone can clear 0.7 hectares per day.
Another notable advantage is the condition of the soil after demining—it is safe and easy to walk on. Additionally, this method causes significantly less harm to the soil and the ecosystem.
Currently, 30 units of Zmiiy have been produced. They are already being used in combat demining by the private demining companies and government structures organizations. Additionally, large demining organizations, such as HALO Trust, have purchased these devices and are engaged in demining operations in Ukraine.
Russian AI Drone Swarm? Not There Yet – A Guide to Drone Navigation (Leo Chiu for The Kyiv Post).
Recent reports have claimed that Russian drones use artificial intelligence (AI) to overcome electronic warfare (EW) defenses. However, an unnamed Ukrainian military official suggested that these capabilities are not AI but "more conventional than they appear," although the official still expressed concerns about Russia's advancing drone capabilities. A Breaking Defense article published on Jan. 8 highlighted the discovery of a modem mesh module—which enables decentralized wireless communication—on Russian Gerbara drones. This discovery showed "early signs" of onboard communication between drones, allowing them to "reroute and remain effective" as a swarm. Despite this, there are still challenges in navigation and target recognition that prevent Russia from achieving full AI-driven drone swarms. While Russia seems close to achieving autonomous targeting, it remains dependent on Western components. This highlights the importance of strengthening sanction efforts.
Other news on drone warfare in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine:
On January 14, Germany updated its lists of military aid to Ukraine with 600 HF-1 combat drones, 50 VECTOR reconnaissance drones, 46 RQ-35 HEIDRUN and 43 SONGBIRD reconnaissance drones, and other weapons and equipment.
Thousands of drones pledged to Ukraine remain stuck in Lithuanian warehouses, despite being scheduled for delivery by the end of 2024
The Ukrainian Defense Forces have received new Shield AI MQ-35A V-BAT drones. The V-BAT weighs 56.5 kg, up to 11 kg of which is the payload. It can stay in the air for up to 10 hours. A powerful optoelectronic station provides the drone’s reconnaissance capabilities.
Units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces are conducting military trials of Black Widow 2 small kamikaze river unmanned boats. The new drone is 1 meter long, weighs 8 kg, and has a range of up to 10 km. It can reach speeds of up to 40 km per hour and has an onboard battery that lasts several hours of operation. If necessary, the boat can be put into standby mode for several days while waiting for a target.
Military-tech app Drill launches the first FPV drone lessons, which will include assembly, UAV maintenance, and initial simulator-based training. "We are planning about 1,000 exercises. The new course is being conducted by professionals who, in particular, serve in the most elite units of the Defense Forces. Some of them have been in the Ukrainian army since 2014 and are currently either operators or instructors of FPV drones”.