Category
Latest news

Russia Shifts to Fiber-Optic FPV Drones Around Kharkiv, Forcing Ukraine to Rethink Air Defense

2 min read
Authors
Photo of Roman Kohanets
Roman Kohanets
News Writer
FPV
Wreckage of a downed Russian FPV drone, with its carbon-fiber frame and trailing control cables visible, pictured after reaching the northern outskirts of Kharkiv. (Source: Serhiy “Flash” Beskrestnov/Telegram)

A Russian FPV drone controlled via a fiber-optic cable reached the northern outskirts of Kharkiv, highlighting a growing threat to Ukraine’s second-largest city, according to Ukrainian officials on February 25.

Serhiy “Flash” Beskrestnov, an adviser to Ukraine’s defense minister and a military radio-technology specialist, said the incident showed “real threats.”

We bring you stories from the ground. Your support keeps our team in the field.

DONATE NOW

He added that this would require technological solutions, warning that detection based on electronic intelligence would not work against fiber-optic-controlled drones.

He said radar could help, but would not be a cure-all against low-flying FPV drones, adding that Ukraine should consider acoustic monitoring to provide early warnings.

Kharkiv’s regional prosecutor’s office said the drone strike occurred at about 3 p.m. in the city’s Kyivskyi district, where a 13-inch fiber-optic FPV drone hit a tree.

Prosecutors said it was the first recorded use of a fiber-optic FPV drone in Kharkiv since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

fpv
Wreckage of a Russian fiber-optic-controlled FPV drone lies in the snow after the aircraft was found in Kharkiv. (Source: Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office)
fiber
A length of fiber-optic cable from a Russian FPV drone hangs tangled in tree branches at the site where the aircraft came down in Kharkiv. (Source: Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office)

In a separate development, Beskrestnov said he had seen another video circulated by Russian sources containing threats to attack Kharkiv with fiber-optic-controlled FPV drones, framing it as part of Russia’s messaging around expanding the use of optics for strikes on the city.

Ukrainian authorities and local media have reported a broader rise in FPV drone attacks in Kharkiv region, including strikes on civilian vehicles and residents in border communities.

Earlier, it was reported that a new trench-installed underground shelter prototype was introduced on the Kharkiv axis to improve protection and autonomy amid the FPV-drone threat.

See all

Support UNITED24 Media Team

Your donation powers frontline reporting from Ukraine.
United, we tell the war as it is.

Join MonthlyGive One Time