Ms. Franke, what is the significance of drones in Ukraine?

Morten Freidel

Political editor of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung

  • Follow I follow

Drones play a relevant role in this war. We see a massive stake on both sides. We have a special situation because neither Russia nor Ukraine were able to gain air supremacy due to the strong air defense on both sides. The fighter planes are therefore used less frequently, and the hour of the drones strikes.

How are they used?

First of all, military reconnaissance from both Ukraine and Russia. The second is attacks with armed drones. Both sides do the same. The big difference, however, is that Russia is using its drones to attack Ukrainian infrastructure and terrorize the population. In other words, war crimes are being committed. The Ukrainians, on the other hand, use the drones to repel the Russian military and, in some cases, to attack military targets in Russia.

I have the impression that drones are often used to produce particularly impressive photos and videos of the war.

Yes, they are an important part of the information war. Every drone operation is as if you had a camera team with you. So you have the corresponding images for each attack. That is why almost everyone has seen those videos where drones drop grenades exactly into the open flap of a tank, or videos showing the scale of the destruction of Ukrainian cities, for example, Mariupol.

Videos on the Internet show how Ukrainians are converting civilian drones and equipping them with grenades, for example.

It is a special development in this war that so many civilian systems are being used. They are not being converted at all, but used as they are. For example, the drones of the Chinese manufacturer DJI. They dominate the global market for hobby drones, you can buy them at Mediamarkt or on Amazon. These drones are now being used for reconnaissance, including by the Russian side, because they are easy to handle. In addition, Ukrainians in particular are rebuilding civilian systems. Private individuals and companies are trying to help where they can, because the whole country is at war, unlike in Russia, where it is only the military. For example, there are drones that were actually intended for agriculture and transported fertilizers. They are now transporting bombs.

Can such converted drones really compete with military drones used by Russia?

First of all, every war is a testing ground for new technologies. That sounds cynical, but it's true. Someone from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense once told me that private companies have been running into him since the beginning of the war. They said we want to help, we can build something there. These companies are now producing drones in direct cooperation with the Ministry of Defense and with the Ukrainian armed forces, and they are then brought to the field and tested under real conditions and then sent back with comments on what works and what doesn't. So these systems are now battle-tested.

In the videos you can also see that Russian soldiers do not see the small attack drones coming. The moment they discover the drone, it's already too late.

Drones are not so easy to detect. You're a soldier in a war zone, there's something flying through the sky, it's loud, and that's why you may not always notice when there's a drone hovering overhead, especially if it's one with an electric motor.

How, then, can one defend oneself against such drone attacks?

On the one hand, drone defense is simple: the drones are usually not particularly fast, have no armor, cannot operate in a hidden manner. They fly through the air, and you can shoot them down, for example, with a shotgun. On the other hand, it's more complicated, because drones are often small, and you have to discover them first. You can't stand around with a shotgun all day waiting for a drone to come by. In addition, air defense systems are focused on manned aircraft. Otherwise, they would have to sound the alarm on every bird. Smaller drones are not detected by these systems. And there are many different drones. You can't shoot a Predator with a shotgun.