In the early hours of September 18, a Ukrainian drone strike almost obliterated a large Russian munitions depot in Toropets in Tver oblast, Russia. The huge explosions that followed registered as a small earthquake on monitors in neighboring countries.
The attack marked not just a tactical victory, but a powerful demonstration of the direction of modern warfare.
The strike obliterated advanced weaponry like Iskander ballistic missiles and Grad rockets, inflicted an estimated $1bn in damage, and severely disrupted Russian military logistics. The head of Estonian military intelligence estimated that as many as 750,000 shells may have been destroyed at the Toropets site, around two to three months of Russian consumption.
This was not an isolated event. It was followed by numerous other attacks on military structures including Tikhoretsk, and an oil refinery the Ryazan. It’s the culmination of Ukraine’s strategic embrace of drone technology, which has now advanced to such an extent that it redefines how conflicts are fought.
In September, I had the privilege of accompanying former CIA Director Gen. David Petraeus to the unmanned aerial system headquarters at a secret location outside of Kyiv.
There was a James Bond vibe to the experience. The outside of the building was nondescript, but inside there were numerous individuals (I can’t disclose their number) sitting in front of widescreen monitors, tracking in fine detail activities occurring hundreds of miles away, whether on the zero line where active fighting is going or, or even further, inside Russia itself.
The drone teams, divided into pilot and ground units, must operate in synchrony. Thousands of cameras and crowd-sourced intelligence from the frontlines feed into their software, guiding their drones to strategic targets. But it’s a game of strategy, of conservation, where only 2% to 3% of the drones are allocated for one-way missions. Each flight is calculated, and each drone is preserved for the right moment.
As the ground team positions itself near the frontline, the pilots in Kyiv watch in real-time as the drones take flight, heading for their targets. One night, a Russian tank becomes the objective. The drone locks in, closing the last kilometer under manual control. With a sharp flash on the screen, flames erupt from the tank. It’s one more victory, one more step toward the goal of breaking the enemy’s resolve.
This was just one example of many successes in Ukraine’s drone warfare strategy. In the strike on Tver, over 30,000 tonnes of ammunition were estimated to have been obliterated, including critical anti-aircraft missile stockpiles. Another struck a facility in Krasnodar oblast in September, and in Voronezh oblast, and there were other attacks too.
Their destruction could severely delay Russian military operations, a serious setback in their ability to maintain the intensity of their strikes on Ukrainian soil. These drone-led operations have steadily shifted the war’s momentum by targeting key logistical hubs and minimizing Ukraine’s resource expenditure.
The drone teams keep sharp by competing with each other. Among the units, teams vie for points based on the targets they destroy — artillery, tanks, or other enemy equipment. Weekly rankings drive them to excel, and the operators track their progress on graphs that flash on their phones. It’s a high-stakes game, one where strategy, skill, and technology merge to create what must be a Russian nightmare.
Despite the challenges — limited funding, reliance on civilian components, and the constant threat of Russian countermeasures — the drone brigade pushes on. Frequencies are regularly switched to outsmart the enemy’s defenses, and new prototypes are developed almost daily. “A jungle of technical solutions,” as one engineer calls it. Gen. Petraeus nods in approval: “That’s the way it should be.”
The drone teams innovate constantly. Every morning, they receive detailed reports of the previous night’s missions: the range, the targets, and the results. The engineers analyze the data and improve the drones, adjusting and innovating within hours. It’s this adaptability that keeps Ukraine ahead, even as the enemy tries to fight back with electronic warfare and frequency jamming.
The drone revolution is ever-expanding. The skies and seas are battlegrounds where Ukrainian innovation leads the charge.
In less than half a year, what started as a grassroots effort has grown into an organized and effective drone brigade. They have proven that Ukraine isn’t just a battleground; it’s a testing ground for the future of unmanned warfare. As General Petraeus remarks: “What’s going on here is something that isn’t happening anywhere else in the world.”
With every mission, Ukraine gets closer to achieving the impossible — winning against a much larger military force. The war is far from over, but with the drone teams constantly evolving, innovating, and outsmarting the enemy, the future of warfare is being shaped in the land, sea, and skies of Ukraine. And when the war finally ends, Ukraine’s lessons will shape the future of global defense. The drones are not just a tool; they are the future.
Mitzi Perdue is a journalist reporting from and about Ukraine.
Europe’s Edge is CEPA’s online journal covering critical topics on the foreign policy docket across Europe and North America. All opinions expressed on Europe’s Edge are those of the author alone and may not represent those of the institutions they represent or the Center for European Policy Analysis. CEPA maintains a strict intellectual independence policy across all its projects and publications.
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