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Russia Builds Anti-Drone “Tunnel Roads” to Shield Troop Advance in Eastern Ukraine
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![Ivan_khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
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Russian forces are constructing makeshift tunnel-like structures using mesh netting along the E50 highway in Donetsk region to secure logistics routes for their offensive toward Pokrovsk, according to footage verified on social media.
The structures, which appear to be designed to protect military transport from Ukrainian drones, have been observed near the occupied village of Karlivka, according to Militarnyi on April 4.
The tunnels are located near the site of the Karlivka Reservoir, where a dam was destroyed by Russian strikes in April 2024, resulting in downstream flooding along the Vovcha River.
These net tunnels are located on a strategic section of the E50 route, connecting Donetsk with Pokrovsk. They enable relatively secure delivery of supplies to occupied cities such as Selydove and Novohrodivka, which serve as staging areas for the Russian advance in the region.
The practice of deploying anti-drone nets dates back to summer 2023, when Russian forces were first observed using suspended mesh segments near Bakhmut. At the time, these were isolated nets aimed at physically disrupting FPV drone flights.
Later developments included covering vehicle routes with fishing nets, particularly along the Kupiansk axis. Russian sources claimed that fishing nets proved more effective than metal mesh (“rabitsa”)—the latter tends to cause immediate detonation of drones, while the former can entangle them without triggering an explosion.
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Despite being relatively low-cost, the installation of these net tunnels is labor-intensive. Construction typically involves embedding support posts into the ground and stretching the netting across roads, often within range of Ukrainian drone strikes.
Once built, these corridors require ongoing maintenance due to exposure to weather and potential damage during combat operations.
Earlier, Russian forces attempted to protect military convoys in the Kursk region using anti-drone corridors made of mesh netting, but Ukrainian drone operators successfully bypassed them, destroying both equipment and personnel.
