Lawrence Freedman
Barely six months ago it appeared that Russia was ahead in the drone race. I wrote last September about an elite unit established by the Russian Ministry of Defence, which acquired and developed new drone technologies, tested new tactics, and trained drone operators. They were well funded and professional, and worked systematically against Ukrainian supply lines. They were causing the Ukrainians major problems in holding onto their positions, for example in Pokrovsk. Russian forces prepared their offensives through ‘battlefield air interdiction’ (BAI) bringing together drones, glide bombs, artillery and missiles to target Ukraine’s logistics and drone operators.
It was a concerning time, for up to this point the Ukraine had led the drone race. It still demonstrated enormous innovative capacity, yet this might be undone by Russia’s ability to outproduce Ukraine and its ruthless and methodical tactics.
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