Ukraine's Drone Battalions Increasingly Taking the Lead In Battles

As Ukraine has increasingly consolidated its drone units into larger, coordinated formations, their contribution to battles at the front is becoming more noticeable. 

They often take the lead in identifying Russian targets and then destroying them. That the Russians are also more frequently employing stripped down, unarmored civilian cars and SUVs has made the drone battalions work more...satisfying. JL

Militarnyi reports:

The 425th Unmanned Systems Battalion of the Ukrainian forces destroyed a large convoy of enemy vehicles. The convoy was directly on the line of contact so the Russian military was either trying to storm Ukrainian positions or rotating its own forces. Usually, Russians use off-road vehicles of domestic and foreign production, but more and more often, passenger cars from the Russian automotive industry appear in the lenses of Ukrainian drones. the doors are removed to facilitate the loading/unloading of troops and the roof is cut off, replacing it with a “grill.”

The crews of the 425th Ochi Battalion of Unmanned Systems of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have defeated a large convoy of enemy vehicles.

The press service of the Ukrainian Ground Forces released the video of the incident.

The footage shows a large convoy of civilian vehicles, mostly SUVs, and one armored vehicle.

 

The Ukrainian Ground Forces did not specify the circumstances under which the enemy convoy was destroyed.

 

However, the use of a drone to record the results of the attack indicates that the convoy was directly on the line of contact.

It is likely that the Russian military was either trying to storm Ukrainian positions or rotating its own forces.

The surviving enemy infantry was killed with the help of “drops” and, apparently, artillery.

 

Russians have started using civilian vehicles more frequently on the front line.

On December 18, it was reported that a unit of the Special Operations Forces had destroyed 18 Russian vehicles using FPV drones.

The vehicle was destroyed by the SOF soldiers. Freeze frame from UA_REG TEAM video

Usually, Russians use off-road vehicles of domestic and foreign production, but more and more often, passenger cars from the Russian automotive industry appear in the lenses of Ukrainian drones.

These vehicles are modified: the doors are removed to facilitate the landing of troops and the roof is cut off, replacing it with a “grill.”

In addition, the cargo compartments are cut off, turning the cars into pickup trucks, and local armor is installed to protect the troops.