- Ukrainian forces destroyed a Russian column of 11 tanks and armored vehicles.
- Ukraine relied heavily on FPV attack drones to destroy Russian armor.
- Russian military bloggers are frustrated by what they see as Russia's tactical failures.
According to a report in the Metro newspaper, the Ukrainian military deployed FPV attack drones to destroy an entire column of Russian armored vehicles.
The video appears to show Ukraine detonating a drone, destroying 11 tanks and armored vehicles. This included his three T-72 tanks and five tracked amphibious tanks. [MTLBS] Armored fighting vehicles and infantry fighting vehicles were scattered on the battlefield, turning into flaming giants.
Two tracked armored fighting vehicles were also destroyed, one by an anti-tank guided missile, Metro reported.
The fighting raged near the settlement of Novomikhailivka in Ukraine's Donetsk region, which Russia has been trying to capture since October.
The attack was captured by cameras mounted on the attacking and overflying drones, showing the devastation it caused to the Russian column.
The convoy was sailing close to the front lines in eastern Ukraine, making it vulnerable to rapid and targeted attacks from the air by artillery and drones.
Leveling Russia's battlefield advantage
In the video, FPV Explosive Drone It accelerated toward Russian tanks and armored vehicles, and the power supply was suddenly cut off just before impact.
Other footage shows a panoramic view, showing a dark tank in motion, with part of the tank ablaze after being hit by an exploding drone, and then a winter field with shell holes. The footage shows the twisted remains of the building being left behind, spewing smoke.
The video is dated January 30, and reports say the fight lasted nearly two and a half hours.
Business Insider was unable to independently verify the video.
The apparent victory over armored columns is significant because Ukraine increasingly views relatively cheap drone technology as a way to level Russia's battlefield advantage.
Commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valery Zarzhiny He wrote on CNN News on Thursday that the nature of warfare has changed due to accelerating technological innovation.
He stressed that unmanned weapons systems, such as drones, play an important role in supporting Ukraine against Putin's forces, even though Russia has significantly superior human resources and weapons.
FPV drones have been used by both Russia and Ukraine as an effective and low-cost weapon since the beginning of their full-scale invasions.
“Perhaps the first priority here is to master all the (relatively) cheap, modern and highly effective unmanned vehicles and other technological tools available.
“Such assets already allow commanders to monitor the situation on the battlefield in real time, day and night, and under all weather conditions,” the top Ukrainian military commander wrote.
“Sheer stupidity and incompetence”
The number of casualties from the heavily damaged armored column remains unknown, but the airstrike sparked a backlash among the pro-war Z channel, which is linked to President Vladimir Putin and expressed dissatisfaction with perceived military incompetence. Metro reports.
Russian military bloggers are increasingly frustrated with Russian military tactics. Russian forces continue to engage in self-destructive activities, gathering in large groups to attack Ukrainian positions, making them easy targets for Ukrainian drones.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US think tank, said one Russian military blogger expressed regret at the “utter stupidity and incompetence” of Russian military tactics.
another Kremlin-affiliated milbloggers argued that the Russian military command needed to halt attacks by mechanized columns due to repeated and heavy equipment losses.
Milblogger also criticized the military leadership for failing to account for Ukraine's drone operations and equip Russian armored vehicles with electronic warfare systems, ISW reported.
After nearly two years of war, Ukraine is asking Western countries to strengthen its defense. An increase in drone attacks has reached targets as far away as Moscow and St. Petersburg, making them a strategic focus for Ukraine.
“This is an armored war against projectiles. At the moment, projectiles are winning,” Ukrainian drone operator Gleb Molchanov told the Guardian.
