Now anti-drone systems are key to gaining advantage on front – Ukrainian commander

Yehor Firsov, a platoon commander in the UAV strike company of Ukraine’s 109th Brigade, shared this information with Hromadske Radio.

"FPV drones are flying — different types: on fiber optics, without fiber optics, day and night. The nature of the war in recent months, especially in the Toretsk direction, has changed a lot. Every assault attack by the Russians now, especially those backed by artillery and drones — drones first of all — turns into a big battle. And that means possible losses for us, concussions, injuries to the guys. It's our job — the job of UAV operators — to constantly cover the infantry. But if there are no drones or if a strong electronic warfare system is working against us, of course, it gets much harder to cover," he said.

Support the brigade: Help modernize drones and enhance capabilities to effectively counter electronic warfare systems https://send.monobank.ua/jar/4qRggsthYe 

Firsov added that earlier, Russian troops primarily used drones like the Lancet, which could fly 30 to 40 kilometers. These drones were responsible for “striking Kryvyi Rih, targeting airfields, and destroying equipment.”

"But what was special about them was that there weren’t that many. They would fly in, cause trouble, but it wasn't massive — they weren’t launching hundreds a day. Now they have access. They've mastered FPV drones, just like we have — and in huge numbers. Hundreds of FPVs can fly towards us in a single day. And if someone told me it was thousands, I wouldn't be surprised. Plus, they’ve got what we call 'hobo-drones.' What does that mean? It's a funny name, but there's nothing funny about it. They're dirt cheap, made from all kinds of 'junk,' which means they can produce a lot of them. And this mass scale creates real problems. That’s why it’s so important now — if before we thought the side with more drones would win, now it’s the side with better anti-drone systems that will win. And it's not just about electronic warfare. It’s also about electronic reconnaissance, guns that shoot drones down, nets that block them, and so on," he explained.