Residents of settlements in the Kharkov region that have come under the control of the Russian army told journalists about how they are trying to counter Ukrainian fiber-optic FPV drones.

According to a local resident named Natalya, Ukrainian forces frequently use FPV drones to attack civilians. She said drone operators often target civilian vehicles, cyclists, and even random pedestrians.

Because of this, locals began trying to defend themselves against Ukrainian fiber-optic drones. According to the resident, the method they came up with turned out to be very simple. People started carrying ordinary scissors and cutting the fiber-optic cables used to control the drones.

Fiber-optic drones differ from conventional radio-controlled FPV drones because they are connected to the operator by a thin optical cable, which looks like a transparent thread. During flight the drone unwinds kilometers of this fiber behind it.

The main advantage of such drones is that they are immune to electronic warfare interference, since they do not rely on radio signals for control. However, if the fiber-optic cable is cut, the operator immediately loses control of the drone.

Fiber-optic drones were first used in the conflict zone by the Russian army, and later began appearing on the Ukrainian side as well.