Scene in the sky: how Ukraine operates with drones in Bakhmut

The eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut has been the scene of fierce fighting for 10 months. The strategic importance of the city is up for debate, but the Russians and Ukraine can inflict great damage on this spot.

Only on Sunday did Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigoshin announce that the Russians had taken Bakhmut. As proof, he shared a video showing the Russian flag flying above the ruins of the city hall. Although Ukraine has denied Prigozhin’s statements, it cannot deny that the enemy can gain ground. The Institute for War Studies (ISW) reported on Tuesday that Russia is tightening control over central neighborhoods in the city.

The sky is becoming increasingly important

The Battle of Bakhmut is fought in two locations: on the one hand in a block battle in the city, on the other hand on the fields and villages in the northwest and southwest of the city. In both theaters, Ukraine has an advantage when it fights on the defensive, a Ukrainian battalion commander told a New York Times reporter. War is math, said the commander, nicknamed Bochka or Barrel. To attack a city you need a three to one advantage. They defended with a company while the Russians attacked with a brigade.

The unit of the second battalion commanded by Bochka defends against a Russian advance towards a highway southwest of Bakhmut. According to him, the pace of ground attacks has slowed.

Targeted attacks only

Ukraine relies on the tactics of constant aerial surveillance of Russian positions. If one drone’s battery is low, the next one will be sent out.

It will only be attacked if the Russians rally or try to advance. The front line stretches for hundreds of kilometers and Ukraine not only has fewer weapons than the Russians, but also suffers from a constant shortage of ammunition. Their targets of attack are therefore chosen very deliberately.

The Russians also have drones

The Russians use the same strategy. They also keep an eye on the Ukrainians and use the drones to pinpoint their positions. A Sky reporter of a young group of Ukrainian soldiers in a bunker wants to know what they do in such cases. “We pray,” replies Anna, just 23, commander of the 93rd Brigade’s kamikaze drone team. “We accept all risks,” says a soldier standing next to her.

The frequency of Russian artillery fire shows the magnitude of the danger: In Bakhmut and surrounding areas, Russian forces have fired 238 artillery fires at Ukrainian positions in the past 24 hours, Serhy Cherevaty, spokesman for the Ukrainian military command in the east, said. Tuesday.

Attack from the bunker

The Ukrainian troops who wage war from the air live in underground bunkers. There they have set up their headquarters with radios and screens. It is in stark contrast to the devastated landscape on the Earth’s surface.

The New York Times describes the scene in which soldiers gathered around a screen that at first glance showed nothing but a vast expanse of dry grass and bare trees. However, on closer inspection, one could see small Russian soldiers.

The Ukrainians suspected that they would lay mines in the buffer zone between the trenches. Whatever they did, they were soon interrupted by mortar rounds. They ran for their lives.

However, the blast exploded well away from the fleeing Russians. According to one of the soldiers, they were too far away. Nevertheless, the drone remained on and the team in the bunker kept the mortar crew informed by radio of the Russians’ escape route. It didn’t take long for smoke to appear on the screen. A cheer went through the round. The chase lasted about five minutes.

Anna’s young team pilots kamikaze drones. These drones carry explosive material that is dropped over the enemy. As one of the guys explains, assembling such drones also involves risks:

It’s scary, he admits. But he knows his motivation and one day everything will be behind him like a nightmare. (Sat)