WHEN FICTION BECOMES FACT ⟩ The Reality of 'Terminator 3' Emerges in Ukraine

Baba Yaga Sows Fear

For over a year, the Ukrainian army has successfully attacked Russian units with large hexacopter over a meter in diameter. Both Ukrainian and Russian soldiers have dubbed these drones "Baba Yaga," after the wicked witch in Slavic folklore. These real-life Baba Yagas cause significant harm and instill fear in Russian units.

We spent a day with a team operating one such Baba Yaga from the 81st Brigade. The exact model and details of the new drone are classified. The location could only be described as having a view of the Russian-occupied city of Lysychansk in the Luhansk region.

The drone team comprised four members. A portion of the team was required to drive close to the front line, within a few kilometers, to launch the drone loaded with explosives and replace its batteries upon return for recharging after each combat mission.

Meanwhile, the other part of the team operated the drone from a secure distance of approximately twenty kilometers, managing the drone bomber's coordinates, preparing flight routes, and directing its attacks throughout the night.

Another team, located somewhere in central Ukraine, handled all necessary software updates and ensured a stable connection between the satellite and the drone.

The Baba Yaga operates under the cover of night due to its considerable size and the significant noise it generates while flying, which could render it an easy target for enemy infantry.

However, its powerful camera enables the capture of high-quality images even in the darkness from several kilometers away. Furthermore, it is immune to jamming efforts, as it is controlled via satellite and a ground station, thereby eliminating any radio waves that could be intercepted by electronic warfare devices.

Visible Technological Advances

Surprisingly, the Baba Yaga's frontline team ventured out during daylight instead of relying on the cover of darkness, a testament to recent technological advancements.

Merely six months ago, they operated exclusively at night. Now, however, the Russian army employs numerous suicide or FPV drones equipped with thermal cameras for nighttime operations, explained Oleh, an officer leading the frontline team of the 81st Brigade.

Although FPV drones are active during the day, they are visible from the ground in daylight, affording soldiers the chance to respond and counter them. "At night, however, you become an ideal target for an FPV drone pilot," Oleh noted.

As the frontline team set out, the bunker team was arranging connections and updating software. If a software update starts during the drone's flight, it will simply crash. Route planning considers various factors: intelligence data on Russian unit positions, weather, the weight of the ammunition the drone carries that night, and more.

"Today's menu includes 'humanitarian aid' for our comrades, remote mining to prevent enemy passage, and target destruction," said Oleksandr, the bunker team leader and drone pilot.

"Humanitarian aid" entails airlifting water and food to frontline soldiers. The threat from FPV drones confines their movement to the front line on foot, compelling them to choose between carrying essential ammunition or sustenance. Almost invariably, they prioritize bullets and grenades. Here, the Baba Yagas come to their aid, delivering provisions from the air and transforming into benevolent witches.

The drone team operates from dusk until dawn, approximately 10 PM to 4:30 AM on the Eastern Ukraine front. Within these hours, they have scheduled two humanitarian missions, three flights for remote mining, and two attack missions. One of the attack missions is designed to destroy a Russian howitzer, while the other targets a bunker housing Russian drone pilots.

The Baba Yaga strikes Russian positions and equipment with three types of shells: fragmentation shells for infantry, cumulative shells for armored vehicles, and high-explosive shells to set bunkers ablaze.

Delivering supplies and conducting remote mining were relatively straightforward tasks, but executing attack flights demanded exceptional skill and patience from the pilot.

The Russian howitzer, targeted for destruction, was concealed 20 kilometers from the front line. A year ago, such distant assaults were uncommon due to the absence of appropriate drones. Now, however, the Baba Yaga, armed with three explosive charges, swiftly accomplished the mission.

"We undoubtedly inflicted significant damage to their targeting system," Oleh remarked following the attack. "They will no longer be able to leave the howitzer in place and will be forced to withdraw it."

Attacking the bunker housing Russian drone pilots was not as straightforward. Russian soldiers noticed the approaching Baba Yaga and fired an illumination shell, lighting up the area to see the approaching Ukrainian witch, which was then subjected to automatic fire. Despite this, Baba Yaga hit the target and returned.

A Russian reconnaissance drone, a Mavic, commenced pursuit of the Ukrainian drone. Its objective was to pinpoint the Baba Yaga's launch site and subsequently target it with FPV drones or artillery. In a dramatic scene unfolding before our eyes, the drones engaged in an aerial chase. The Ukrainian drone, being significantly more powerful, easily outpaced the Russian Mavic. The aerial duel concluded in favor of the Ukrainians, as the Russian drone ultimately retreated.

This situation underscored the perils confronting the Baba Yaga's frontline team. Oleksi, a 24-year-old responsible for attaching explosives to the Baba Yaga that night, recognized that he is a prime target for Russian forces. "Only the pilot and his assistants have the advantage of distance," the young paratrooper remarked. "We can be attacked by drones, artillery, and even aircraft."

The night with the Ukrainian witch's assistants passed swiftly and, most importantly, successfully and without losses, much like their previous nights.

Enemy Only Understands Force

While the Russian army has achieved some tactical success on other fronts in the Donetsk region, the 81st Brigade, along with other units, has managed to hold back the Russian army at the border of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, partly thanks to the Baba Yaga drones. In this area, the Russian army rarely uses powerful glide bombs dropped from aircraft, their main weapon for advancing elsewhere.

The soldiers of the 81st Brigade are skeptical of Russia's purported desire for peace negotiations, as asserted by President Vladimir Putin. They doubt that the aggressive sentiments within Russia would dissipate even with Putin's death. "Putin didn't start the war; he merely declared it," Oleh stated. "The Russian people initiated the conflict."

Oleh reasons that Putin does not compel Russians to go to war; they do so willingly. It is not Putin personally deploying banned weapons against Ukrainians or launching rockets at children's hospitals, but individual Russians. Oleh contends that Russians can only be deterred by the language they understand. "They only comprehend force, unfortunately," remarked the Ukrainian officer, a veteran of the war with Russia.