The Ukrainian intelligence reports that Russia is using new cheap drones to identify the locations of Ukrainian air defense systems.
Russia has begun using new cheap drones in its long-range attacks on Ukraine, attempting to identify Ukrainian air defense systems., according to Andriy Chernyak, a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
He stated that two new types of drones, used by Russia in five drone attacks over the past two to three weeks, are made from materials such as styrofoam and plywood.
One type of drone is equipped with a camera and a SIM card from a Ukrainian mobile phone to send images to Russian forces, he reported.
“They identify the locations of our mobile groups and where the machine guns that can destroy them are positioned. They are trying to get a clear picture of where all our air defense systems are located,” Chernyak said.
According to him, the new drones likely cost only $10,000 each, despite having a long range, making them much cheaper to produce than air defense missiles.
Chernyak also mentioned that these drones can fly at an altitude of 1 km, staying out of the reach of machine guns and automatic rifles.