A Ukrainian drone operated by the elite Birds of Magyar unit infiltrated a building and struck Russian soldiers while they slept in their sleeping bags, likely causing casualties among the troops, Forbes reports, describing recently shared combat footage.
The nighttime attack, captured in real-time by the drone’s camera, took place somewhere along the front line in eastern Ukraine and demonstrates the omnipresence of small drones throughout the 1000-km battlefront of Russia’s 37-month wider war on Ukraine.
Footage shows that one Russian soldier appeared to wake up and notice the drone moments before it struck. The soldiers’ failure to secure the building with simple protective measures such as nets, screens, or even closing doors likely contributed to the successful attack, Forbes says.
The attacking first-person-view (FPV) drone featured equipment tailored for nighttime use, including an infrared camera for 24/7 operation. It likely relied on fiber-optic control—a thin cable that can run for kilometers—enabling stable communication even through walls where radio signals would fail.
“With a skilled operator, a fiber-optic FPV can go where a radio FPV can’t,” Forbes notes, adding that both Russia and Ukraine are increasingly deploying these more expensive but deadlier fiber-optic drones.
The successful indoor strike suggests significant advancements in Ukrainian drone technology. Forbes says that early Ukrainian fiber-optic FPVs featured awkward designs that were likely too bulky to maneuver through buildings.
The first generation of Ukrainian fiber-optic drones featured an inefficient layout, stacking the warhead, battery, and cable spool separately. Newer models improved on this by integrating components—some placing the warhead inside the spool, others embedding the battery. The latter design increases modularity, enabling operators to swap out different warheads based on mission needs.
“That Ukraine’s fiber-optic FPVs are now sneaking up on Russians in their sleeping bags is a good indication that the drones are becoming extremely capable. The stuff of nightmares to their targets,” Forbes concludes.
Related:
- Chaotic drone arsenal gives Ukraine tactical surprise advantage
- Ukrainian 28th brigade defeats Russian armored column near Toretsk (video)
- Ukrainian special forces destroy Russian Utes-Tm radar system
- Two Russian SAM systems struck by Ukrainian kamikaze drones launched from uncrewed boat (video)
- Solar reflection on drone fiber-optic cables leads to Russian UAV team elimination (video)
- Ukraine develops fiber-optic module fitting for all drones, integrates optical navigation module
- Russia’s fiber-optic drones dodge jamming, but Ukraine hunts them with infrared and sound
- Forbes: Ukraine, Russia hunt “invisible” fiber-optic drones with microphones, infrared lasers
