On the evening of the lunar eclipse, we gathered in a friend’s garden to have dinner and watch the moon turn red. First, though, we had to watch Russian drones flying over our heads. One of them was shot down by a Ukrainian F-16 before our very eyes.
The drone fell into the forest nearby, apparently causing no significant damage. Otherwise, we would have heard about it. Soon afterwards, we were able to focus on the lunar eclipse – relieved to have something to talk about other than the war.
Russia’s drone terror has been going on for more than three years. Until recently, drones and missiles generally entered Ukrainian airspace under cover of darkness, when it is much harder to shoot them down. However, we now experience missile and drone strikes around the clock.
The obvious explanation for this change is that Russia wants to intensify its intimidation of Ukrainians – to sow fear among the population, to induce them to demand an end to the war on any terms, that is to say, on Russia’s terms.
For soldiers along the southern front line, life is dominated by the fight against small Russian First-Person-View (FPV) drones, which are launched from the occupied territory on the opposite bank of the Dnipro River, piloted by Russian soldiers via a video camera on the drone. These lethal weapons target residents of Kherson and vehicles on the Kherson-Mykolaiv highway – the most dangerous road in the country.
In a new anti-drone strategy, Ukrainian soldiers and volunteers have covered many of Kherson’s streets and the entire length of the Kherson-Mykolaiv highway with netting, which has proved effective in trapping the drones and protecting lives.
Ukraine will remain invincible as long as the majority of Ukrainians are not afraid.
Recently, along the Kherson-Mykolaiv highway they brought the body of 57-year-old Oleksandr Gordienko – the head of the Kherson Regional Farmers’ Association, who was killed by a small Russian attack drone.
Gordienko became a legend for all of Ukraine when he equipped his agricultural machinery, and even his own car, with electronic warfare systems and continued to cultivate farmland in Berislav district – a de-occupied area of Kherson region which is regularly shelled.
He always carried a carbine and was ready to shoot down Russian drones that were aimed at him. In fact, he shot down almost 150 of them! The Russians declared a manhunt against this brave farmer and, during a drone attack on his car on Sept. 5, he was killed.
Small FVP drones can fly distances of 20 to 40 kilometers (12 to 24 miles) and they terrorize the residents of frontline cities and villages, while large drones, consisting mainly of Chinese parts, are employed to spread fear across the rest of Ukraine. The difference between these types of drones is huge, both in terms of their destructive capabilities and the fear they induce in Ukrainians.
Small drones are not weapons of mass destruction, but they cause panic among residents of frontline cities and villages because they are piloted to chase and kill a particular person or to blow them up in their car. In Ukraine, there is even a term for this method of assassination by drones – the chilling phrase “human safari.”
Large drones, which dive into urban neighborhoods, are designed to cause maximum damage to buildings and infrastructure, and of course to kill anyone in the area. They do not usually target individuals. The target is “us,” not me or my neighbor. When Ukrainians think in the category of “we,” they are less afraid of attacks than a person who finds himself alone with a small but deadly drone.
When my friends and I witnessed the skirmish between a Ukrainian F-16 jet and the large Russian drone, we felt no fear. We were confident about the outcome of this battle. When our host’s pre-school-age daughter exclaimed about the trail of smoke splashed across the sky, she was told calmly that “The baddies were flying and our guys shot them down.”
I think that Ukraine will remain invincible as long as we believe in the Ukrainian army and as long as the European Union is on our side. Ukraine will remain invincible as long as the majority of Ukrainians are not afraid. Only fear could push Ukraine into an unfavorable agreement with Russia.
So far, Ukrainian society has avoided falling into a paralysis of fear, and this greatly irritates the Kremlin.
The views expressed in this opinion article are the author’s and not necessarily those of Kyiv Post.