Ukraine’s kamikaze drones deployed to the front lines as manpower shortage worsens

In the Finnish garrison town of Riihimäki, a small place with a population of less than 30,000 people, the Finnish Defense Innovation Network (DEFINE) is showcasing drone technology from 17 different companies that is already in use or will soon be deployed on the battlefields of Ukraine.

Jan-Erik Saarinen, founder of Double Tap Investments, has just returned from a six-week stint with the Ukrainian military on the Kherson front line. His technology is positively influencing the way soldiers fight against the invading Russian army.

He explained to Euronews that drones and unmanned vehicles are the most important tools for Ukraine to continue to defend its territory, given the scale of the personnel ratio between Russian and Ukrainian men.

This disparity is further exacerbated by the “meat grinder” tactics employed by the Russian military. The Russian military sends thousands of poorly trained soldiers to the front lines to detect Ukrainian lines of fire, without worrying about how many will return. Therefore, the average loss of Russian soldiers per day was about 1,200, and on the busiest days it could reach 2,000.

“We were testing some technologies there with a very innovative team from a battalion in eastern Ukraine,” Saarinen told Euronews in Rihimaki. “We have acoustic sensors that alert the drones, and we have counter tactics and countermeasures that directly target the Russians.”

His small, hand-held suicide drones are equipped with technology that allows them to breach trenches from much greater distances, similar to grenades and artillery shells, and soldiers can carry more than one at a time for greater effectiveness with far less risk.

“The[Russian army]has a lot of troops, so we need to clear the trenches without losing troops,” he explained. “Think of it like a grenade, but it can fly up to 500 meters away. A few soldiers can throw a small drone forward. It’s much more effective.”

“These drones are so small that you can fit two or three in a backpack, but as technology is developed to make drones even smaller, soldiers will be able to carry even more.”

Additionally, Double Tap is developing suicide drones for mine detection and destruction, as well as operations over rivers.

Russia has planted millions of landmines across Ukraine since its full-scale invasion in 2022, making the country “currently the most dangerous place for unexploded ordnance,” according to the United Nations.

“This is going to be a big thing for the future,” Saarinen said. “We have to give them better technology. Remember, the enemy is just as good. You know, their technology is good, and when they find something that works, they ramp it up very quickly.”

“A very smart enemy.”

“Modern technology is very important because we don’t have many infantrymen at the moment,” said Oleksandr Voytko, a Ukrainian soldier on a two-week vacation from the front in Kherson.

“We currently rely primarily on drones,” he said. “We use all kinds of drones: small kamikaze FPV (first-person view) drone bombers, ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) drones, medium attack kamikazes, all kinds of drones.”

But he also warned that the enemy is evolving with similar determination.

“The Russians are also constantly learning. They have also improved their drones. So they are not a stupid enemy, but a very smart enemy,” he told Euronews.

Voytko, currently deputy commander of the 413th Unmanned Systems Army Regiment, first volunteered for the military in eastern Ukraine after Russia first invaded in 2014.

He acknowledged that it would be difficult for Ukraine to regain territory lost to Russia, but said that at least acquiring drone technology would strengthen Ukraine’s position in any negotiations.

“At least if we kill this many Russians, Russia will be willing to negotiate peace,” he said. “Modern warfare is now a war of drones. We’ll soon see drones flying with ground robotic systems. We’ll probably see (humanoid) robots with rifles in a few years.”

protect europe

To the east of NATO, frontline states such as the Baltic states and Poland have seen large numbers of drones and weather balloons violate European airspace in recent months.

In Lithuania, airspace at Vilnius and Kaunas airports was restricted to a quarter of the working day during peak hours from October to November, according to the country’s Ministry of Defense.

Then, on December 9, Lithuania declared a “national state of emergency” after months of provocation by weather balloons carrying pallets of cigarettes from Belarus.

Gediminas Guova, CEO of Lithuanian drone technology company Granta Autonomy, told Euronews: “In eastern countries, we have already seen the danger of drones and balloons flying from Russia and Belarus.”

He said plans to build a so-called “drone wall”, consisting of systems ranging from interceptors to “destroyers”, would be a useful development to protect Europe’s airspace, but he also warned of the potential damage caused by shooting down drones that could pose a threat to civilians and civilian infrastructure.

“We envision the drone wall as a system of systems that can protect us from hostile drones and other means,” he said. “Because balloons are the biggest threat right now, at least in Lithuania, where I was born.”

“Of course, the easiest way is to go in and destroy the balloon and close it down in that way. But at the same time it is very dangerous, because they carry boxes weighing 40-50 kilograms and fly at an altitude of eight kilometers, or even more.”

“If you destroy a balloon, you’re going to have a 40-kilogram box falling from an altitude of eight kilometers. It can cause really big damage.”

Solutions to these latest versions of hybrid threats are still in their infancy, given that European defense forces are constantly responding to threats rather than anticipating what will happen.

Guoba said Europe needs to learn how to use drones as a countermeasure and quickly.

“This is a new challenge for everyone.”