Persistent fog and frequent rain Provide cover for Russian infantry against Ukrainian drones, allowing Moscow forces to intensify their attacks on the front lines.
Ukrainian soldiers report unfavorable weather that has prevailed for most of the last month has drastically reduced the effectiveness of aircraft unmanned aircraft, which form the mainstay of their defense in the east of the country.
“As soon as there is fog, the Russian attacks intensify”Anatoly Repsh, senior sergeant of a battalion fighting near Kupyansk in the northeastern Kharkov region, told EFE.
Repsh’s unit uses a combination of reconnaissance and strike drones to track down and eliminate advancing Russian soldiers on foot – often singly or in pairs – as part of their daily attempts to advance beyond Ukrainian positions.
Rain and fog not only limit visibility, But they also quickly damage drone cameras and other sensitive electronic components.
“We try to fly even in rain and fog, but the equipment suffers a lot. A drone that has been operating in the rain all day rarely lasts longer than two or three days,” said Repsh.
The lack of drones is causing soldiers to use their equipment more conservatively in poor weather conditions, resorting instead to intercepting communications to track the enemy, as well as barbed wire obstacles and minefields to slow their advance.
Only when they locate the Russian infantry do they send the drones to attack them.
Repsh roughly estimates that Three quarters of the attackers are killed or wounded as they attempt to overcome the seven to ten kilometer “death zone” that separates the two armies.
However, survivors are gradually piling up, forcing Ukrainian units to expend even more resources to repel them.
“We no longer have enough infantry to recover “We need to lose ground with counterattacks and, if time permits, use more drones to destroy the houses and positions where the Russians are hiding,” the sergeant explained.
Despite the adverse weather and its impact on some units that rely almost entirely on drones to maintain the defensive line, The Ukrainian armed forces have so far prevented a sharp advance by the Russians.
Nevertheless, Moscow’s territorial advances accelerated in November, according to the analysis platform DeepState They reached an area of 505 square kilometers, the same area as in the previous two months combined.
In Vovchansk, a small border town that has been under siege for more than a year and a half, dense fog has allowed Russian troops to accelerate their advance in recent weeks.
“Drones fly a lot less and the Russians are exploiting their numerical superiority,” regional military spokesman Viktor Tregubov said this Friday.
A similar situation prevails in Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, as dense fog has facilitated the infiltration and accumulation of Russian infantry in the city and its surroundings.
Bad weather also protects Ukrainian movements from Russian kamikaze droneswhich facilitates the transport of ammunition and food to the most advanced positions as well as the evacuation of wounded and the rotation of personnel.
“It is easier for us when there is fog, heavy rain or strong wind because they launch fewer attack drones,” Vasil Vovk, a soldier fighting on the Eastern Front, told EFE.
However, the soldiers emphasize that the inability to use drones even in favorable weather conditions is more damaging to Ukraine than to Russia, because Moscow has a superior number of troops, as well as in artillery and the use of aerial bombs that are less time dependent.
Ukrainian engineers are working on solutions to make drones less vulnerable to weather, but fog and rain highlight the ongoing need for conventional weapons.
Although Ukraine has drastically increased domestic drone production and is looking for additional resources to expand it further, modern artillery systems, armored vehicles and air defense systems remain essential to stopping the Russian advance, soldiers and military analysts say.
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