As Ukraine braces for a major Russian offensive, its 'drone hunters' fight to defend its cities
Iranian-made drones known as 'lawnmowers of death' have been destroying civilian infrastructure
They stand in silent watch around key Ukrainian cities — the soldiers who call themselves the "drone hunters."
This week, CBC News was allowed access to the Ukrainian military's short-range air defence system outside of Kyiv. The system was assembled to shoot down low-flying aircraft targeting Ukraine's population centres — most of them Iranian-made kamikaze drones packed with explosives.
The system is always on high alert, but the soldiers watching for drone attacks are particularly vigilant now as Ukraine braces for what defence experts and the country's leaders warn is a renewed Russian offensive assembling in the East.
Months ago, Ukraine begged its allies to help it counter the threat from swarms of drones. Now, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is on a European tour asking for bigger and better defence kit — not just tanks but fighter jets.
The drone hunters operate in mobile teams, linked together by radar and command posts. They're often called upon to do their fighting in the dark.
Ukrainian civilians have taken to calling the triangle-shaped Shahed-136 drones the "lawnmowers of death" because of the buzzing sound they make.
The remotely-piloted aircraft has a 2.5 meter span and is packed with a 50 kilogram explosive charge. They are noisy, lumbering, slow-moving machines that are easily picked off in daylight — so their Russian operators now fly mostly between midnight and dawn.
Their one-way missions are the kind of attacks that smash civilian infrastructure. Last fall, they delivered a wave of terror to war-weary Ukrainians by wrecking the nation's energy grid, depriving millions of people of light and heat.
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Throughout those months, Ukraine begged for more and better air defences. It got them — eventually — but not before nearly half the energy grid was wrecked.
One of the soldiers manning a position outside of Kyiv — who, for security reasons, would only give the name Andrew — said the members of his unit have shot down five drones since they completed their training a few months ago.
There was "a shot of adrenaline" with the first kill, Andrew said, but now "it's just like a regular job and you're glad you shot it down."
With their laser range-finders and short-range missiles, he said, the drone-hunter units have a 90 per cent success rate.
In Brussels on Thursday, Ukrainian officials were once more urging allies to contribute fighter jets.
Zelenskyy met with top leaders a day after asking the U.K. for advanced warplanes.
"The visit to London was effective," Zelenskyy said at the EU Parliament. "We got closer to the decision about long-range weapons and the training for pilots and it is a step towards providing Ukraine with fighter jets we need. There are certain agreements which are not public, but which are positive."
But it was clearly not a discussion the Europeans wanted to have in public.
A week ago, French President Emmanuel Macron signalled his support for Zelenskyy's request, saying everything remains on the table in allied efforts to help Ukraine defend itself, including the provision of warplanes. But Germany has publicly ruled out sending fighter jets.
Still, Zelenskyy seemed to be buoyed by the overall message of solidarity from European leaders.
"You can count on us," said EU Commission head Ursla Von Der Leyen. "We will continue to provide our full support now to sustain your people through this atrocious war, and for the future."
But as a long anticipated Russian offensive assembles in the East, Ukraine is getting impatient. Oleksandr Musiienko, a former adviser to the previous Ukrainian defence minister, said time is short.
"If we look right now on the map, whereas we can expect an offensive, I see that it will be in three or four directions," he said, noting the biggest push will be to secure all of both Donetsk and Luhansk — the two provinces Russia has illegally claimed for itself. Another axis of advance could cut through the southern Zaporizhzhia region.
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