‘Alive, Concussed, Happy’ – Ukrainian Soldier Survives Russian ‘Drone Ambush,’ Describes Evolving Tactics
A Ukrainian drone operator with the 58th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade, call sign “Potter” told Kyiv Post how evolving Russian drone tactics nearly cost him and his team their lives during a rotation mission in the Kharkiv sector of the front.
“The [expletive for Russians] are constantly changing their tactics and it’s hard to keep up.”
Potter said the incident occurred on a logistics road in the middle of an open field.
While the specific location remains undisclosed for security reasons, Potter revealed that the road lacked protective drone nets, though there were intermittent trenches nearby.
“It happened during a crew rotation,” he said. “A vehicle brought in our replacements. They unloaded, and we loaded up and headed back – four in, four out.”
Potter said Russian troops spotted the incoming rotation vehicle and quickly deployed a first-person-view [FPV] drone hiding it on the road to ambush their return.
“We were driving back, and we didn’t see it. It was camouflaged under the road,” he said. “As we approached, it was supposed to lift off and strike us – but our stationary electronic warfare system likely prevented it from taking off.”
Instead, their vehicle drove directly over the drone. The explosion, which was from a cumulative-charge warhead, was absorbed by the vehicle’s engine protection.
“The cumulative jet went underneath, and the explosion hit the engine shield,” Potter said. “The engine is still more or less intact. We were lucky.”
Though all four men sustained concussions, they survived. Potter shared a video with Kyiv Post showing the damage to the vehicle.
“With the help of some donors, we’ll restore it,” he said. “We’re short on vehicles – probably a general military issue.”
“If that drone had taken off, we’d be dead. If it had detonated in the air, it would’ve hit the cabin directly, and there would’ve been ‘200s’ [a military term for dead] among us. Another stroke of luck – it wasn’t a fragmentation or high-explosive shell… Alive, concussed, happy – and we’ll keep working.”
After the blast, the soldiers quickly jumped out of the vehicle and took cover in nearby trenches while multiple Russian drones circled overhead.
“We had to walk about a kilometer and a half to the [name withheld for security reasons] highway, which is relatively safe,” he said.
Even then, the threat wasn’t over. Potter said reconnaissance drones were still circling overhead.
“About three drones were flying nearby. Two unexploded ones were found next to our vehicle – probably jammed by the EW system,” he said.
Eventually, they reached the highway and were evacuated.
Potter warned that Russia’s use of FPV drones is rapidly expanding in the war against Ukraine.
“The Russians are very good at developing tactics for using their equipment,” the soldier said. “They have what we call ‘hunters’ – FPV drones that roam freely and shoot down, for instance, our Vampire drones. These aren’t directed at a specific target, but fly out to hunt on their own.”
The Vampire drone, developed by Ukraine’s SkyFall, is a heavy-lift hexacopter that can carry up to 15 kilograms (33 pounds) of munitions – including thermobaric, cumulative, and high-explosive – to strike Russian tanks and armored vehicles from up to 400 meters (1,312 feet).
He said Ukrainian units still lack the number of drones needed to counter this tactic effectively.
“Our brigade’s drone support is far below what our crews actually need. We can’t afford to just fly drones into the void.”
Potter also described a worrying new trend for the Ukrainians – Russian forces are now targeting not just large military vehicles but Ukrainian pickups with fiber-optic-controlled drones.
“We’ve seen our trucks burned by those. Before, they only used fiber-optic drones against heavy equipment, but now even pickups are getting hit.”
Source: Julia Struck