1/ QUICK TAKE - Russians are worried that Ukrainian military is targeting their fixed-wing ISR drones: "This is an extremely alarming development. While people do not directly die from such actions, the consequences may be more serious than from the delivery of dozens of Abrams (tanks)."
2/ "Many units/actions depend on such ISR drones (Zala, Supercam, Orlan). Destroying our "eyes" in the sky will set us back a generation, forcing us to fight in 2D while the enemy continues to wage war in 3D. FPV drones are cheap, but big ISR UAVs are not."
3/ "If previously Ukrainians were waiting for supplies of scarce Western missiles for air defense, now they can also use interceptor drones with great effect. FPVs can already fly at speeds of up to 500 km/hour. All our slow-flying drones, including Geran (loitering munition) are at risk."
4/ "In addition, the Ukrainians plan to shoot down our attack helicopters that come close to the front line. Fortunately, there were no such cases, but the enemy is working on this. Another advantage of interceptor drones is their mobility and stealth."
5/ "Their use does not require multi-ton vehicles, which in modern conditions cannot be hidden. Two people on motorcycles is already an air defense weapon that is extremely difficult to detect. But the most dangerous thing here is that the Ukrainians..."
6/ "...were able to establish a system for detecting and destroying our fixed-wing drones. Building such a system is the key to successful (interceptor drone) application. Without it, an FPV drone will not find a target at an altitude of several thousand meters."
7/ We urgently need to pay attention to this. There is nothing to protect our fixed-wing UAVs in the sky, so the only answer is to destroy the enemy’s fixed-wing drones in exactly the same way. Whoever is the first to clear the sky of the enemy's ISR UAVs will get amazing benefits (in combat)."
8/ For reference, this is what Russians are worried about.
9/ Some background to point 3/ about drones reaching 500km/h - that may have been an exaggeration by the Russian commentator - the fastest FPV-type drone reached around 400km/h and it was not weighted down by a munition/mortar.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
Ukraine's @Textyorgua_Eng on the gray zone in the war - an area that stretches 25-30 km, and as much as 40km, "a chaotic kill zone riddled with trenches, dugouts, mines and rubble, constantly monitored and hit by drones, with both sides using a wide range of weapons." texty.org.ua/projects/11592…
The rotation in this gray zone is a difficult and dangerous: "Pickup trucks take the infantry 1–7 km to the trenches/dugouts. Then the guys walk the rest of the way, carrying 20–40 kg of stuff: ammo, gear, water, food, and tactical electronic warfare equipment."
"Sometimes UGVs are used for logistics and evac on the front lines. This type of technology is still in its infancy, and there are many problems with UGVs. But often they are the last straw that people grab onto when they need to make an important delivery or pick up a wounded soldier."
1/ QUICK TAKE by a Rus mil blogger on dispelling the myths that frontline drone operator job is "prestigious" and "safe" - main points translated as follows: "Money? 210,000 rubles per month? Yes, you get paid. But then the lion's share goes (to purchasing) own equipment." t.me/russoturisto_n…
2/ "(You buy) a new drone camera. Batteries. Chargers. Communications. And also repairs. You buy a new drone to replace the one that hasn't returned. Wires, connectors, fasteners. In fact, you're always "in the red." Just staying alive, for now."
3/ "Prestige? It's there. As long as you're accurate (with drone strikes). As long as you're alive. As long as the antenna is intact, the connection is stable, and your hands aren't shaking after 14 hours of "observing."
1/ QUICK TAKE on the lagging Russian military education that is behind the current combat trends in Ukraine, from a Rus military commentator: "I attended a lecture at one of the military training centers in the Samara region, and excuse my French..." t.me/voickokipchaka…
2/ "...dear teachers of this center, but I have never heard so much nonsense from anyone. Of course, out of respect for their shoulder straps, I tried to smooth things over, but it got to the point where the lecturer said that 75% of all tactical targets were hit by "artillery".
3/ "Let me remind you, for those who have forgotten: this is the fourth year of the special military operation (Russian name for its invasion of Ukraine), and this war is unlike any other. Now, for your information, 70% of the targets are hit by drones."
1/ Rus state media reports that the Sukhoi Design Bureau (that built S-70 Okhotnik UCAV) is "actively developing eight distinct UAV types. Next step in tactical aviation is transitioning from viewing it as a mere collection of individual high-tech aircraft to developing integrated aviation systems." tass.com/defense/2015511
2/ Okhotnik took years to go through testing and evaluation, and was shot down by Russia's own forces in 2024 when it went out of control over Ukraine. It was not seen in Ukraine combat, is expensive and in very few numbers, and would likely not survive Ukrainian air defenses.
3/ More form Sukhoi: "...countering multi-layered air defense systems with manned aircraft alone has become prohibitively expensive. Therefore, the focus is shifting toward a network of functional complexes, each designed to address specific targets and tasks."
1/ THREAD: On September 6-7, 2025, the fourth annual "DRONNITSA" meet-up took place in Russia's Novgorod region, organized by KCPN (Coordination Center for Assistance to Novorossiya) and Ushkuynik Enterprise (that builds KVN fiber-optic drones), with assistance from Novgorod region government. t.me/dronnitsa/554
2/ This year, the event theme was "learning from mistakes" - what the larger Russian volunteer and start up community learned after years of assisting the Rus military and what gaps still remain. See this link for previous DRONNITSA threads.
3/ A key figure in organizing this event is Aleksei Chadaev, who head "Ushkyunik" Enterprise and is one of the key figures in the Russian tech volunteer space (below). His co-organizer is Aleksandr Lyubimov who is involved with KCPN.
1/QUCK TAKE: Rus commentators on the impact of FPV strikes on Ukrainian logistics: "Until recently, the Slavyansk-Izyum section of the highway was considered relatively safe for enemy movement. Drone strikes here were extremely rare and episodic. Now the situation has changed." t.me/VictoryDrones/…
2/ "Today, systematic work of FPV crews has been noted in this direction, and the result is immediately visible. From a military point of view, this is a turning point. FPV drones allow firing at a range of up to 25-30 km, which makes it possible to strike a target even before it enters the immediate frontline zone."
3/ "This effectively transfers the section of the highway to the category of "partial fire control". The change in tactics is obvious: the enemy can no longer use the road as a guaranteed safe supply route; columns are forced to split into small groups..."