Ukrainian commander’s EW tactics block 96% of Russian FPV drones

“As a commander, for example, last winter, before we saw this drone surge, I had a feeling it was coming. So, every dollar I could find—from donors, people helping our unit—I put into EW. And by April-May 2024, it’s paid off: 96% of the enemy’s FPV drones just couldn’t reach our positions,” Kucharchuk said in a Radio NV broadcast.

Rise of FPV drones on the front line

On Sept. 6, Vadym Sukharevskyi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, reported that in August, Ukraine’s Defense Forces increased their use of FPV drones in combat zones by 25% compared to June.

In early August, spokesperson Vadym Mysnyk of the operational-tactical group “Siversk” reported that Russian forces had intensified their use of FPV drones and attack UAVs in border areas of Chernihiv and Sumy oblasts.

In late May, military analyst Oleksandr Kovalenko from the Information Resistance group noted that Russian occupation forces set a record with their FPV drone usage in May, deploying 5,500 drones before the end of the month.