In the battlefield south of Vodyane in Donetsk Oblast, drone operators from the Ukrainian National Guard’s Kara Dag Brigade executed a precision strike against Russian drone operators, Forbes reports.
The Ukrainian team specifically targeted Russians deploying advanced fiber-optic drones – technology designed to circumvent Ukraine’s electronic warfare systems. These specialized drones transmit signals via thin wires rather than radio frequencies, making them resistant to jamming.
UAV operators of "Pryvyd Khortytsi" tracked the location of Russian troops using fiber optics as they were launching drones and neutralized them. pic.twitter.com/PBTn6bQhJW
— WarTranslated (@wartranslated) February 18, 2025
“Spotting the reflection of fiber-optic cables, the Kara Dag Brigade operators followed the sunlight-reflecting fibers back to the Russian team’s hidden base in a clutch of snow-covered buildings—and struck the hapless Russian operators with explosive FPV drones,” war correspondent David Axe details.
The battlefield success demonstrates Ukraine’s continued capacity for effective resistance through technological advantage, particularly in unmanned systems, even as the diplomatic landscape shifts.
The operation occurred as US and Russian diplomats met in Riyadh to discuss potential paths toward ending the war—notably without Ukrainian representation. The timing underscores Ukraine’s determination to continue resistance regardless of diplomatic developments.
“Ukraine has fewer troops and less artillery than Russia, but it has more and better drones, many of which are made in Ukraine and paid for with Ukrainian and European funds,” Axe notes.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pivoted toward strengthening European alliances, meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and French President Emmanuel Macron to secure continued support.
As Axe concludes, the tactical drone victory carries a strategic message: “America may choose to bow to Russia, but Ukraine doesn’t have to.”
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