Ukraine strikes far behind Russian lines: drones become a key weapon in the conflict

Ukraine is intensifying its medium-range drone strikes against Russian positions far behind the front line, increasingly relying on this strategy to disrupt Moscow's military logistics and air defense systems.

In eastern Ukraine, soldiers from the 1st Center of the Unmanned Systems Forces, an elite unit specializing in drones, showed Reuters how they prepare and launch their devices from discreet locations, sometimes in the middle of agricultural fields. The drones are assembled on-site and then programmed to target military objectives located several dozen kilometers away.

"We are focusing our efforts on enemy bases on the ground, ammunition depots and air defense systems," explained the unit commander, identified only by his call sign "Kyt", which means "whale".

Soldiers use laptops to define target coordinates before launch. Once prepared, the drones are launched into the sky using a catapult system, while technical teams make final adjustments directly on the ground.

According to Ukrainian authorities, these strikes target positions located between 30 and 180 kilometers behind the front line. Kyiv believes this strategy slows the advance of Russian forces by disrupting supply chains and essential military infrastructure.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated this month that the number of such strikes had quadrupled since February, a sign of the growing importance given to this technological warfare.

Military analysts believe, however, that while these operations weaken Russian capabilities and complicate their logistics, they are not enough on their own to reverse the balance of power on the ground against a Russian army with superior resources. Nevertheless, drones now appear to be one of Ukraine's main tools for trying to contain the Russian offensive and maintain pressure far behind enemy lines.