"Like something out of Star Wars": Ukraine soldiers tell how they stop Putin's killer drones
Created: 12/03/2022 11:28 am
By: Helmi Krappitz
In the Ukraine war, Russia uses drones from Iran.
To protect civilians and infrastructure, Ukraine is forming anti-drone defense units.
Mykolaiv - Ukraine created special units due to Russia's use of kamikaze drones in the Ukraine war.
The mobile units specialize in detecting and countering self-detonating drones.
In a
Washington Post
report , the soldiers tell of the fight against the drones from Iran.
Defense against drones: Ukrainian special forces in action
Mykolaiv, just 30 kilometers from the front, was one of the first cities to be attacked by drones.
In order to protect the lives of civilians and the supply of electricity and water, counter-drone defense in Mykolaiv takes place as far away as possible from residential areas.
The Ukrainian unit, which spoke to the
Washington Post
, rotates between firing points and alternates night shifts with other units.
Each unit has around half a dozen members with different professional backgrounds.
Many were previously police officers and soldiers.
But former journalists, farmers and art directors are now also fighting drones.
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Nocturnal Drone Attacks: Thermal sensors to detect aircraft
Initially, Russian troops deployed the kamikaze drones throughout the day.
Since the machines are noisy and slow, they were quickly shot down.
The
Washington Post
reports that they now fly primarily in the dark - between midnight and dusk.
Accordingly, Ukrainian units use thermal sensors to detect the drones.
As soon as the sensor hits, they have a time window of ten minutes.
All units will be notified via Telegram.
The drone is then illuminated with lasers, as this makes it easier to see the illuminated drone.
Most often, machine guns are fired on the drone from different positions at the same time.
After successfully shooting down, the remaining parts of the drone are collected by the units to protect public security.
US military Lt. Col. Paul Lushenko explains to The
Washington Post
that shooting down with rifles is a good anti-drone solution until the anti-aircraft systems from the West are operational.
To defend against Russian drone attacks, Ukraine is forming mobile special units.
© IMAGO/STR
"Like something from Star Wars": Ukrainian unit tells about the fight against drones
Shooting down drones at night creates a "beautiful picture," Bogdan Yarema told the
Washington Post
.
The 26-year-old is part of the special drone defense unit.
The drone's laser illumination and machine gun firing light up the night sky "like something out of Star Wars," says Bogdan.
It's great and dangerous at the same time.
He is aware that the guns can kill more people than the drone itself. Therefore, caution is advised, drones are only shot at in sectors where there are no civilians.
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Another unit member tells of the intense machine gun fire when a drone is laser lit.
It is often difficult to identify which unit destroyed the drone.
His unit shot down three drones at the beginning of November: "Of course there is a competition." In the end, however, it is the result that counts.
According to the
Washington Post
, the special forces' concern is the lives of civilians.
Downed drones can also kill civilians, as was the case in Kyiv.
In Mykolaiv there are said to have been no injuries or deaths.
Fewer drone attacks: Russia will probably get new weapons from Iran
Russian drone attacks have decreased in recent weeks.
According to the British Defense Service, this is because Vladimir Putin's troops should simply run out of Iranian drones.
Soon, however, new such weapons are to be delivered from Iran.
According to Western intelligence services, there is also an agreement to produce Iranian drones on Russian soil.
Ukraine is to receive western support from air defense systems.
However, until they are functional, drone defense must continue to take place manually.
(hk)
