How FPV Drones Reshaped Ukrainian Frontline Tactics
Reuters research shows how FPV drones, troop shortages and dispersed positions have transformed Ukrainian infantry tactics and reduced the role of tanks.
The widespread use of drones has fundamentally altered the way fighting unfolds along the front line. Ukrainian forces are increasingly avoiding large concentrations of troops and equipment, instead deploying small groups across widely separated positions. Infantry units now mainly observe the battlefield, while FPV drones are used to strike identified targets, according to research published by Reuters.
Advances in unmanned aerial technology have made the previous reliance on massed soldiers, armored vehicles and artillery in a single sector far too dangerous. Groups of two or three servicemen are now stationed in small underground shelters spread across the front and positioned at a considerable distance from one another.
An officer from the Ukrainian drone brigade known as the Birds of Magyar told Reuters that infantrymen try to limit themselves to surveillance and avoid firing whenever possible, as doing so may expose their location. Under these conditions, drones carry out most of the offensive work.
FPV aircraft are controlled both by operators based close to the front and by crews positioned farther away. Fiber-optic cables are frequently used to transmit commands, reducing the drones’ vulnerability to electronic warfare systems.
Reuters also identified manpower shortages as a serious problem for Ukrainian units. The lack of personnel forces troops to hold positions far apart, while rotations have become dangerous operations in their own right. Ukrainian serviceman Sergei Krynytsky said he had remained at the same position for more than 300 days.
The growing role of drones has also reduced the importance of heavy armored vehicles. Ukrainian servicemen told the agency in February that direct tank battles had become virtually impossible.
According to Rob Lee, a military analyst at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, tanks are now more commonly deployed in populated areas or during poor weather. Large-scale armored assaults have largely given way to operations involving small infantry groups. He nevertheless believes that further technological development could eventually restore some of the tank’s former role.