“Technological pie": military observer explains Ukrainian force’s success near Pokrovsk

Ukrainian military observer Vasyl Pehnio shared the information with Espreso TV.

"I’ll try to explain the situation near Pokrovsk and visualize the logic behind it. Essentially, our [Ukrainian] command is putting unmanned technologies and systems to the test, fully utilizing them in modern warfare. There are currently many units in the area, and they are among the best when it comes to unmanned systems. Recently, they’ve been effectively defending against Russian forces, significantly disrupting their logistics in the Pokrovsk direction. Enemy propaganda channels have recently claimed that no one should dare approach Selydove anymore because a Ukrainian drone will strike immediately. There’s some truth to that," he noted.

Vasyl Pehnio noted that Russia’s logistics in the Pokrovsk direction are in a dire state. Russian forces are resorting to every available means of transportation in the area.

“They are using everything from civilian cars to motorized tillers, donkeys, and horses to transport supplies. For 10-15-20 kilometers, there is a sort of zone for the occupiers. But all of this became possible because we aligned our technologies near Pokrovsk. It’s not enough to have strong units or even fully saturate them with drones; proper management is key, because this is a technological ‘pie,’ At the base of this system are unmanned ground vehicles and FPV drones. Many people believe that FPV drones can win the war, but they only address the consequences. FPV drones come into play when the occupier's forces manage to reach the front line and engage our troops there. Alternatively, you can target the root cause by flying 10-15 kilometers deeper. This is where the FPV add-ons come in: reconnaissance Mavics with drops, copters that fly 10-15-20 kilometers to destroy the enemy, including control points, warehouses, command posts, and observation posts,” he said.

At the same time, the military observer noted that Russian troops have implemented so-called asymmetric actions in the Kursk region.

“Drone wings, as well as reconnaissance and strike wings, and kamikaze drones. We managed to create this entire technological ecosystem near Pokrovsk. That’s the good news. The bad news is that this is only one section of the frontline. Our forces cannot scale this up across the entire front, and the Russians cannot either. This is also bad news. They have now taken control of our logistics near Kursk and are destroying the only road between Sumy and Sudzha, wiping out everything that moves along it. About two-thirds of the vehicles that travel there are destroyed by Russian fiber optic drones. This is an asymmetric situation, meaning the Russians are not fools; they are observing and adapting. They’ve created their own asymmetry there, just as we’ve done near Pokrovsk. But so far, neither side has been able to apply this strategy across the entire 1,500 kilometers of the front. I would really like us to be the first to do this, with European support, and of course, some internal changes within our country should help make this happen,” added Vasyl Pehnio.

• Pavlo Lakiychuk, Head of Security Programs at the Center for Global Studies “Strategy XXI,” says that Russian forces have been trapped in a "pincer" maneuver in the Pokrovsk direction and lack any advantage.