On a frontline where Russia has made significant gains in recent weeks, Ukrainian drone pilots are fighting an endless battle to hold the line east of Zaporizhzhia. In a warm bunker lined with wooden logs, Dmytro, 33, of the 423rd drone battalion, monitors multiple video feeds from FPV, Mavic, and bomber drones. The unit, formed only in 2024, operates on a flat, farming terrain punctuated by destroyed villages, which is harder to defend than the more urbanised Donetsk region.
Captain Kostya, Dmytro's commander, notes the geographical challenges: 'There are a lot of fields and if we lose a height advantage, we have to retreat for kilometres.' In November, an opportunistic Russian attack east of Huliaipole caught Ukrainian defenders off guard, leading to a loss of about six miles. The area had been held by the war-weary 102nd territorial defence brigade, but a battalion gave way completely. Serhii Kuzan, chair of the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Centre, attributes the difficulties to the intense defence elsewhere: 'Because of the big concentration of forces in Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad, the reserves were exhausted.'
Russian forces have exploited frequent late autumn fog to advance, combined with 250kg glide-bomb strikes from jets operating beyond the range of Ukrainian air-to-air missiles. Defenders have only four minutes' notice of incoming strikes, though electronic countermeasures are effective about 70% of the time. When weather clears, drone crews work relentlessly to spot Russian soldiers moving in small groups, often without food, water, or weapons.
Maksym, 29, and Serhii, 24, recently returned from five days on the front as part of a mixed FPV and Mavic crew. They rest by playing video games like Stalker 2, which Maksym says helps with their work: 'If you are flying a jet in one of the battlefield games, it's basically the same as flying a Mavic.' Rest is minimal, with pilots often getting only 15 minutes of sleep at a time. Drones have up to 20 minutes of battery life and can strike up to 9 miles, or 18 miles when launched from a 'mother drone'.
The pilots struggle to recall their most recent deployment, but Maksym brightens when mentioning a successful mission. Despite the challenges, they continue to hold the line, though the question of how long they can sustain the fight remains.
