“They take breaks of 2–6 days, and this is not by chance, but a tactic
During this period, soldiers in their positions relax: someone goes to the latrine without a helmet, someone doesn't bend down on the road, someone stands up to smoke at full height.
2/
“Yes, that's it—the enemy sees it. They analyze where and how often people appear, make marks, and then—a volley of 10–15 FPV drones
The enemy's main goal is to lure
Such 'silence' is not mercy, but a trap.
3/
“The enemy knows: if they don't shoot, people will relax, and discipline in movement around positions will drop. And then they can launch a swarm of drones at the 'lit up' spots. No spotters—all work is done via video and tracking of our movements. 4/
“Move only on command
To avoid becoming the star of an enemy FPV stream, movement around positions is only on the commander's order. It doesn't matter where—for water, to the toilet, or for a smoke break.
5/
“The commander gives the 'go-ahead' only after electronic warfare (EW) is activated. Finished moving—EW is turned off. Yes, it's inconvenient. But life is more valuable
EW is a friend, but not a magician
There's another trick—intercepting video signals from drones.
6/
“This allows understanding where they are and when it's best not to move. But...
Recently, the effectiveness of such interceptions is decreasing. The enemy is adapting, using new schemes and firmware
Autopilot is a new trend for the enemy
7/
“Especially nasty things are the drones 'Baba Yaga' and 'Valkyria'. They fly on autopilot, don't emit any signals, and EW has simply nothing to jam. And 10–15 seconds before the strike, the operator engages—and then it's too late to cry over spilled milk. 8/
“The enemy works intelligently. They don't rush, they study, they provoke, they mask strikes with silence. This means we need to be even more disciplined. No unauthorized strolls.
9/
“Only on command, under EW, and with the understanding that every step is a chance to survive or get a drone to the face.”
10/10
Russian politician and blogger Dmitry Rogozin continues his examination of “Madyar's” adoption of corporate practices and metrics instead of traditional military bureaucracy to achieve battlefield truth.
“In parallel, a large-scale management reform is being carried out. 1/
“Project management is being introduced, personal responsibility is being strengthened, transparent calculation of needs is being automated, redundant positions are being cut, and the role of analytics is being enhanced.
2/
“In essence, the Ukrainian leadership is striving to replace the traditional military bureaucracy with a corporate management model.
3/
FPV drones have risen from an obscure hobby of racing drones to the mass production of millions and dominance of the Ukrainian battlefield.
However, cheap but lethal FPVs are rapidly being assimilated by terrorist and separatist organizations, cartels, and criminal gangs. 1/
In the Sahel, al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) has used FPV drones armed with explosive warheads against fortified positions.
This marks a significant shift from indirect IED warfare to long-range precision-guided strikes. 2/
Other regional jihadist actors, including elements tied to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and Boko Haram, have adopted similar FPV systems.
Commercial quadcopters have been adapted into guided kamikaze attack platforms. 3/
Russian blogger Dmitry Rogozin compares Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces Commander “Madyar’s” use of statistics-based management, transparency of data, and confirmed results of operations with the Russian inheritance from the Soviets of the “operational lie”: 1/
“In early 2026, one of the key commanders of the Ukrainian drone units, … Brody-Madyar, published a programmatic text in which he detailed his vision of the development of the war against Russia for the next year.
2/
“This material is noteworthy not for its grandiose slogans or emotional rhetoric, but for its pronounced pragmatism - today, for the readers of my Telegram channel, we will analyze it together with the head of the Unmanned Systems Service at the ‘Bars-Sarmat’..
3/
Russian millogger Alexei Zhivoff has nostalgia for the good old days of early 2023 before the small drone revolution completely changed the landscape of the War in Ukraine.
“Drones That Changed Everything,
Nostalgia
Spring 2023, the left bank of the Kherson River. 1/
“The enemy is no more than five kilometers away as the crow flies. We maintain night camouflage and head to the rear positions of the airborne troops. Driving at night without headlights is a special ‘pleasure.’
2/
“I already understand: before drones, arriving at the front lines was literally ‘war in luxury style.’
The next day, we reach the road along the Dnieper. The enemy is no more than two kilometers away from this road—technically, driving is allowed.
3/
Ukraine’s Minister of Defense Mykhailo Fedorov reports that SpaceX and Elon Musk have quickly agreed to resolve the Russian UAV use of Starlink satellites.
“The Ministry of Defense, together with SpaceX, is already addressing the issue of using Starlink on Russian UAVs. 1/
“A few hours after the appearance of Russian drones with Starlink connectivity over Ukrainian cities, the Ministry of Defense team promptly contacted SpaceX and proposed solutions to this problem.
2/
“I am grateful to SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell and Elon Musk personally for their quick response and the start of work on resolving the situation. 2/
Fresnel zones significantly affect control and video communications with FPV drones.
Fresnel zones are volumes of space between a transmitter and receiver in which any obstacles interfere with a signal even if radio line-of-sight (LOS) is clear. 1/
Trees, buildings, terrain, and even vehicles within this zone can interfere because radio waves propagate as expanding wavefronts.
Waves therefore arrive at the receiver via slightly different paths, but they interfere constructively if the zone is clear. 2/
Obstacles within the zone cause diffraction (bending or scattering of waves around edges), so some waves arrive out of phase.
They also cause reflections, in which secondary signals bounce off the obstacle and interfere destructively with the direct signal. 3/