Footage demonstrates drone-targeted shelling of frontline trenches, according to a Chechen frontline unit
A video shared with RT provides a dramatic overview of the drone-enabled trench warfare which has become a signature feature of the conflict with Ukraine. The clip purportedly depicts surprise Russian artillery strikes on Ukrainian positions as UAV operators fed intelligence to the attacking force.
The short film was published on Monday by RT correspondent Igor Zhdanov and appears to be one of a series produced by Amur, a Chechen commando unit currently deployed in Russia’s Lugansk People’s Republic. The fighters have previously published examples of drone warfare in Serebryanka forest; the Seversky Donets River passes through the woodlands, around 20km west of the city of Severodonetsk.
The footage was filmed from the air and shows Ukrainian trenches and shelters in forest terrain being repeatedly pummeled by 152mm shells. The troops try to change location, carrying their wounded with them, but the strikes follow them. At one point, a man who appears to be in his underwear flees a fortified position after it is hit.
The availability of inexpensive drones to both sides of the Ukraine conflict has had a significant impact on the operations they can conduct, according to military experts. The real-time surveillance they offer makes tactical surprises extremely difficult. Kamikaze drones add to the threat posed to any gathering of heavy weaponry near the front line. Consequently, the hostilities often involve artillery-intensive positional warfare not unlike what was typical for World War I.
According to the Chechen unit, their primary opponents are members of the Azov Brigade, the Ukrainian neo-Nazi national guard that began as a nationalist volunteer force with strong ties to far-right groups around the world.
