The advancing front line and the increased flight range of Russian drones have led to a sharp rise in FPV strikes on Zaporizhzhia. In just one month, the city has been covered with anti-drone meshes, and locals are adjusting to the new challenges of war. Together with analysts from the Center for Information Resilience (CIR), we analyzed the geography of FPV drone attacks on Zaporizhzhia and determined what cities within FPV range can expect.

У перший день вторгнення росіяни сунули на Київ через білоруський кордон. Вони наближалися до столиці Житомирською трасою, коли 15-річний підліток із села Колонщина Андрій Покраса побачив зі свого FPV-дрона колону їхньої техніки. Хлопець передав координати російської техніки нашим артилеристам, а ті підбили першу й останню машини в колоні, змусивши всіх зупинитися поблизу села Березівка за 30 км від Києва. Тоді українці розстріляли її шквальним вогнем з усіх боків. Розбита техніка окупантів залишилася догорати на Житомирській трасі.

"We, Ukrainians, discovered the capabilities of FPV drones out of desperation, and this has resulted in a very effective weapon. The longer the war continues, the more we develop this area, but in doing so, we also develop the enemy, who learns from us and our mistakes. If we stop developing drones, the enemy will be ahead of us."Читати українською

A pilot with the call sign Smoke, having just returned from a three-day combat mission where he fired FPV drones at enemy targets, goes straight to the workshop.In a special place with shelves, drawers, and long tables with antennas, transmitters, fasteners, screwdrivers, soldering irons, computers, and 3D printers, he is supposed to help with a problem that some drones had with video.Here is his unit's drone workshop.Using the example of this workshop, we will tell you how such workshops came to be and how they helped in the war.