A new war front as drone hunters spring into action

A BATTLE is shaping up in the skies over Ukraine and Russia, as the ingenuity of drone engineers on both sides opens up new opportunities and threats far behind the front lines.

- OLESIA SAFRONOVA and ALIAKSANDR KUDRYTSKI

This was on full display recently when Ukraine launched a dramatic series of strikes deep in Russian territory, damaging a significant portion of the Kremlin's strategic bomber fleet. Russia unleashed one of the biggest drone and missile attacks against Kyiv.

The escalation has touched off a new round of innovations: Ukraine is developing a generation of drones designed to identify and shoot down other unmanned aerial vehicles. The goal is to target Iranian-designed Shahed drones, which have a triangular frame and are mass-produced in Russia.

Oleksandr Kamyshyn, an adviser to Ukraine's minister of strategic industries, said in a recent interview that the country is scaling up production of weapons that have had success shooting down the Shahed-style drones around Kyiv and the surrounding region.

The issue has taken on added urgency as Russian barrages grow in ferocity ahead of peace talks this week in Istanbul. Last month, Russia demonstrated it could launch hundreds of Shaheds on a regular basis, signalling its growing capacity.