Ukrainian special operators are changing how they assault enemy trenches. Someone always has to ‘watch the sky.’

• Ukrainian special operators train to keep a close eye on the sky while clearing trenches.

• The rise of drones on the battlefield has forced these elite troops to adopt new training methods.

• They started using drones more frequently in training, practicing how to interact with them and how to hide from them.

Ukrainian special operators are learning to watch the skies closely as they move to attack Russian-held trenches. increase in the number of drones On the battlefield, it forces soldiers to constantly change the way they fight.

“Our training has changed,” one operator said. 4th Ranger Regiment An official from the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces told Business Insider: “We started using [uncrewed aerial vehicles] “We are paying much more attention to the fight against drones.”

“We also train constantly to infiltrate small groups,” the operator, second in command of a small unit, said in an interview. For security reasons, he requested to be identified only by the call sign “Gur”.

The front line along the south and east of Ukraine has become a line as soldiers and officials define it. “kill zone” It is an area densely populated with drones that can target anything that moves, from people to vehicles.

The kill zone varies in width but typically extends approximately 10 to 20 kilometers from the contact line. Ukrainian officials said this is expandingBut it forces commanders to make tactical adjustments.

for Ukraine elite special operatorsOnce focused primarily on survival, drones are increasingly becoming a part of their training Russian artillery fire.

Gur said Ukrainian drone pilots Participate in training exercises. Operators will be wary of threats from above, attacking “enemy” drones, protecting soldiers next to them, and seeking shelter. If movement is the focus, they will practice hiding and hiding and continue walking after the drone passes.

Operators also use shotguns during live-fire training. Ukrainian soldiers used these weapons ideal, last resort defense against first person perspective (FPV) drones, especially fiber optic drones that cannot be jammed by electronic warfare.

The incredible proliferation of drones on the battlefield has also changed the approach of special operators trench cleaning operationsA fighting style that war has largely brought back.

trench warfare Comparisons were made in Ukraine World War Ibut the presence of drones and robots on the battlefield gave it a futuristic feel and made the already difficult task even more difficult.

Gur described a scenario in which a group of four people had to clear a trench and move in teams. In each pair, the first soldier keeps his gun pointed at the trench while the second soldier follows a few meters behind. scanning the sky.

If a Russian UAV is detected, it opens fire. “You can do this with a standard rifle or a shotgun,” Gur said.

Meanwhile, the second duo guards the first until they reach cover and begin clearing it. At this point the first pair urges the second pair to move forward. When four soldiers are together, at least one of them is watching the sky.

“If they are separated in pairs, one soldier works in the trench while the other helps him and monitors the airspace above them,” Gur said. “When we come out of the trench, the first soldier watches the ground and the horizon, while his partner watches the sky.”

“Then we continue to move forward in the same way,” Gur added. “Someone always needs to watch the sky. It needs to be done constantly.”

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