The Telegraph: Ukrainian Drones Destroy Russian Equipment On Approaches To Front
- 8.04.2025, 9:59
The advance of Russian troops has bogged down.
Russia’s gains on the battlefield in Ukraine have slowed dramatically in recent months, largely owing to Ukraine’s improved drone tactics and defences, writes The Telegraph.
Russia’s territorial gains amount to five times less than they were five months ago, with casualty rates rising from Moscow’s attempts to break through Kyiv’s defences, a senior Nato official said. The reason for this is the combination of improved drone tactics and defences by Ukraine.
George Barros, of the Institute for the Study of War, said the length of Russia’s offensive is taking its toll on its soldiers. “When you continue fighting after the point in which you’ve been exhausted and the point at which your forces offensive operations are culminated, you can keep fighting, but you’re going to get diminishing marginal returns. Your attrition rate is going to go higher, and you’re just not going to be quite as effective,” he said.
The capture of Avdiivka last winter gave the Russians a temporary advantage. However, the pace of advancement has slowed: if in November 2023 Moscow advanced 730.5 km², then in March - only 143 km².
Ukrainian counter-offensives have also helped steadily erode Russia’s gain. “As we expected, Russian gains have slowed as they approached more built-up areas, like Pokrovsk, and their casualty rates have continued to be very, very high,” a senior Nato official said. “Russia has repeatedly shown that they’ll continue to accept that type of strategy – high losses in exchange for slow gains.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces have conducted localised counterattacks in the Pokrovsk and Toretsk directions in recent weeks, regaining lost positions in these areas. ,” the think-tank wrote on Sunday in its latest battlefield update. Drones are used not only for reconnaissance, but also to deliver ammunition, often in combination with artillery.
Michael Kofman, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment, notes: “Drones are responsible for over 60 per cent of the daily Russian Federation casualties at this point, and are the principal means of stopping attacks in combination with mining, and traditional artillery.”
Some Ukrainian units, in particular the 59th Airborne Assault Brigade, report that up to 85% of the losses they inflict on the enemy are caused by drones.
Mr Barros said Ukraine’s drone attacks have at times destroyed enemy vehicles up to 10 km from the “zero line”, leading to some Russian soldiers resorting to advancing on foot.
Despite losses, Putin continues to grind forward as he seeks to capture as much of Ukrainian territory ahead of any peace negotiations. He recently signed a decree to mobilise 160,000 more troops, Russia’s highest number of conscripts in 14 years. However, analysts believe he will not be able to breach Ukraine’s defences.