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How midrange drones are reshaping the battlefield for Ukraine
AP News • • general
Key Points:
- Ukrainian forces are using midrange drones equipped with Starlink satellite communications to target and disrupt Russian supply lines deep behind the front in the Kharkiv region, hindering Russian logistics and slowing their advances.
- The K-2 brigade, operating from a command post far from the front lines, launched 800 midrange drone missions in May alone, achieving a high success rate of 81%, significantly improving from previous months.
- The drone campaign exploits a gap in Russian defenses along a 25- to 200-kilometer corridor, pressuring Russian forces by striking fuel, ammunition convoys, and infrastructure, which complicates resupply efforts and supports Ukrainian counterattacks.
- Russia, initially caught off guard, is responding by deploying mobile fire groups, increasing anti-aircraft defenses, and testing electronic warfare against Starlink, but so far these measures have only partially mitigated the drone threat.
- The success of Ukraine’s drone operations is attributed to the disruption of Russian access to Starlink services by SpaceX, enabling Ukrainian drones to evade jamming and improve targeting accuracy, reshaping the battlefield dynamics.
