A special unit of the Ukrainian defence forces, fighting the Ukraine war, has claimed that it has managed to destroy the 40-mile convoy of the Russian army heading towards Kyiv. The convoy had come to a grinding halt outside the Ukrainian capital and these amateur drone users said they launched multiple deadly ambushes to deal a death blow to the mechanised column.
The drone operators of the 30-strong Ukrainian special forces were drawn from an air reconnaissance unit Aerorozvidka, according to The Guardian. The publication further said that this unit has evolved into an essential element in Ukraine's successful resistance against Russia.
The fighters use drones with thermal imagine cameras or those capable of dropping small bombs as well as sniper rifles, according to The Guardian.
The drone operators on quad bikes carry out night ambushes. The unit's commander Lt Col Yaroslav Honchar told The Guardian that the riders were able to approach the massive column of tanks and other artillery by riding through the forests at night.
"This one little unit in the night destroyed two or three vehicles at the head of this convoy, and after that it was stuck. They stayed there two more nights, and (destroyed) many vehicles," Honchar said.
Speaking to The Times earlier, Honchar had said that Russian forces are static when night falls, with their fear of Ukrainian shelling forcing them to hide their tanks in villages between houses, knowing that conventional artillery cannot risk hitting civilians.
But they use heavy-duty modified octocopter drones to target their enemies.
The defence officials in the US had earlier verified that the resistance put up by the Ukrainians slowed down the Russian advance, and the aerial combat footage released a few weeks ago highlighted the importance of drones in the fight.
The Aerorozvidka has to rely on the Starlink satellites donated by SpaceX founder Elon Musk, and funds collected from personal contacts in order to keep going.
The team was started in 2014 by a group of young Ukrainians who volunteered to help in fight against the Russian invasion of Crimea.
