Ukraines fishing net defense illustrates challenges against Russia

Ukraines fishing net defense illustrates challenges against Russia

Kostiannivka, Ukraine - the last lifeline for the besieged cities along the eastern front line of the Ukrainian troops, which are trapped in a network of increasingly fatal and demanding drone war, depend on a year old technology: a fishing network.

stretched along the streets on posts, the networks offer the Ukrainian SHORTING against Russian drones, which often circle deep in their territory got caught.

The challenge in Kostiantynivka

A Ukrainian commander who defends the area reported that he had not received any new soldiers in his unit for eight months and only the front positions - sometimes a few soldiers have to ward off over a dozen Russian attackers - with drones, since vehicles cannot reach the trenches.

The civilian population and their challenges

near Kostiannivka, the population moves unimpressed through the gaps that they have created in the nets - their daily needs are more important than protection through the networks - which sometimes creates holes that are used by the skillful Russian drone operators. Moscow elite drone unit, Sudnyi den, has published videos of her drones within the networks, which sometimes work in couples. In a recording material on July 20, a drone beats a Ukrainian military SUV, while another films the impact while waiting for gravel nearby to attack another goal.

Last week, four civilians were killed by Kostiantynivka and 31 injured due to Russian attacks. The children were evacuated, and only a little more than 8,000 civilians remain in the city itself.

The effects of war on the infrastructure

The streets have been sprinkled with cars that have been hit by Russian drones since the city has been within reach of the advancing Russian forces. Even on the safer edges of the city there was a white minibus, the passenger side of which was pressed in by a drone attack hours earlier on Saturday. The driver was killed, the local governor reported on Sunday, although the explosives on the drone did not detonate.

nearby is a tangled thin cords that now defines the war - no fishing nets, but fiber optic cables that are used to prevent the interference of drones. Russian and Ukrainian operators use dozens of kilometers of this razor -sharp glass wires to stay physically attached to some drones - the cables extend over large parts of the battlefield - which means that they can control the devices directly, despite all the interference attempts.

insights into the everyday life of the residents

In search of a way out of the ruins, Tatiana moves, who returns from her old home on the outskirts, where she fed her dog and collected some belongings. "It's hard there, really difficult," she said. "Nobody is on the street. I have no other place where I could go."

Last week, according to the cards of the open source monitor Deepstate, the Russian troops came up to eight kilometers to the southeastern edges of the city and southwest. The gradual progress of the price of high losses was the trademark of Moscow's war efforts for years, but the simultaneous progress of the eastern cities of Pocrovsk and Kostiannivka and further north of Kupiansk could give Russian President Vladimir Putin a reorganized front line and its right to the Ukrainian region of Donetsk, an important goal.

The courage of people on site

The central market of Kostiantynivka is still an oasis of activity, where residents collect food in a hurry, despite the risk of drone and artillery attacks. Many are reluctant to have films filmed, which points out that they fear that they will be branded as a pro-Ukrainian in the event of an early line-up of the city. "Now they will bomb us," said an older woman, which points to fear that the Russian armed forces will use news material to determine goals.

Another man who did not give his name, a fruit seller from Azerbaijan, called according to "fame of Ukraine" and "fame the heroes", pro-Ukrainian slogans. "What do you see?" he asked. "There is no peace today. Shots, of course."

underground operations and communication problems

The control over the airspace is underground. Vasyl, a local commander, monitors a bank of monitors in his basement. The war is now divided into two parts: the hunted by drones on the cruel front lines and the hunters themselves, whose drone operating bunkers and positions are often hit by air strikes. On the screen behind vasyl, a mushroom cloud unfolds in the sky - a Russian air raid that tries to target Ukrainian operators.

A permanent problem is the lack of staff: Vasyl from the 93rd mechanized brigade has not received any new soldiers for eight months. "We have a critical lack of staff. Nobody wants to fight. The war is (for) over. The old soldiers are exhausted and want to be replaced, but nobody comes to replace them."

logistics and the risk of drones

The remaining infantrymen from vasyl sometimes hold positions in pairs and receive food, water and ammunition in the half-darkness of dusk when the larger Ukrainian vampire drones can fly. "We load 10 kilograms of supplies," he said. "And it flies 12-15 kilometers, wears supplies. Food, ammunition, batteries, chargers for radio stations." The front positions are so vulnerable to Russian drones that mortar teams often have to go on foot for many hours, Vasyl said to transport 30 kilograms of ammunition and equipment.

The commander reported that the newer Russian drone teams, known as Rubikon unit, are well trained and professional, sometimes only use a thread that dangles from another drone over a Ukrainian device to get caught in its rotors and to crash the Ukrainian drone.

"Communication on the military problems on the front lines is a serious problem," said Vasyl. "Many things are not communicated and are hidden. We do not communicate many things to our state. Our state does not communicate many things to people."

"To understand the situation, you have to be in it," he added. "If we say that the situation is difficult, nobody understands it. You have to stand in our shoes. We are tired. Everyone is tired of this war, and I believe that other countries are tired of helping us."