Russia is deploying knockoffs of Ukraine’s Vampire heavy bomber drones — and the 81st Brigade has already shot down five

Russian forces on the Sloviansk axis have begun deploying heavy hexacopter bomber drones that closely resemble Ukraine's Vampire, according to Ukraine's 81st Separate Airmobile Brigade. The brigade's Horizon Group air defense unit has already destroyed five of the Russian systems and warns Moscow will likely escalate their use.

Russia fields Vampire copies on the Sloviansk axis

Soldiers of the 81st Separate Airmobile Brigade, part of the 7th Air Assault Corps of Ukraine's Airborne Assault Forces, have documented Russian use of large hexacopter bombers on the Sloviansk axis over recent weeks.

"Over the past few weeks, the use of heavy bomber hexacopters has been recorded — ones that visually closely resemble the Ukrainian Vampire," the Brigade stated.

The Vampire, produced by Ukrainian company SkyFall, is a six-rotor heavy bomber hexacopter carrying up to 15 kg of payload over 20 km. It topped Ukraine's battlefield drone kill rankings in 2025 with 2.5 million combat missions, with SkyFall now producing 100,000 units annually at around $8,500 per unit. Russian troops have long nicknamed all Ukrainian heavy hexacopter bombers "Baba Yaga" after a witch from Russian folklore — while Russian forces began fielding their own hexacopter copies under the same nickname in 2025.

The Brigade's Horizon Group anti-aircraft unit has shot down five of the Russian copies. The 81st warned that Russia will likely continue scaling their use.

Simultaneous infiltration attempts

Russian forces have been simultaneously attempting to push into the brigade's defensive positions. The 81st Brigade reported that over recent days Russian forces intensified use of strike assets to distract Ukrainian defenders and disrupt reconnaissance — the Brigade noted that Russian forces typically deploy FPV kamikaze drones and loitering munitions such as Lancet and Molniya to screen infiltration attempts.

The brigade also noted that Russian assault groups on the Sloviansk axis increasingly include support-unit personnel pressed into assault roles, which it described as evidence that Russia has exhausted its frontline manpower reserves. 

Despite this, the situation in the brigade's defensive zone remains tense due to high enemy drone and artillery activity, and the brigade says Russian forces are preparing larger assault operations involving heavy equipment.