Russia's most effective drone turned out to be of Ukrainian origin — Forbes
Russian forces are using an entire system to capture and repurpose Ukrainian drones. This is reported in a May 23 article by Forbes.
Russia is increasingly using captured Ukrainian “Vampir” heavy bomber drones on the front lines, which the Russian army has nicknamed “Baba Yaga.” The Russian military isn’t just shooting down these drones; they’re trying to repair them, adapt them to their own communication systems, and return them to combat.
The author of the article, military analyst Vikram Mittal, notes that during the full-scale war, Ukrainian heavy multicopters have proven to be an extremely effective weapon. These aircraft can carry up to 15 kilograms of munitions over a distance of up to 20 kilometers, so they are actively used as nighttime bomber drones and transport drones.
Although the Russians have generally managed to keep up with Ukrainian UAV technology to some extent, for a number of reasons, the aggressor has not yet succeeded in replicating the “Vampires” specifically. Although Russian companies have attempted to create their own version of the “Baba Yaga,” most of them have remained at the demonstration and prototype stage.
In light of this, the Russians have adopted an unusual strategy. Instead of manufacturing such drones themselves, they have begun systematically hunting down Ukrainian “Vampires” to later use them for their own needs.
The author explains that the Russians manage to capture a significant portion of Ukrainian heavy drones thanks to electronic warfare systems. Since drones often fly the same routes and use fixed radio frequency communication channels, Russian electronic warfare systems can jam the drones without causing them physical damage.
In addition, large multicopters are easier to shoot down with small arms due to their size and relatively low speed. The article notes that Russian troops have even created special sniper teams to hunt down such drones.
According to Forbes, an entire ecosystem has formed around captured “Vampires” in the Russian army, focused on their repair and maintenance. The author notes that Russian military and volunteer organizations are opening workshops where they restore damaged Ukrainian drones and modernize them for use by the Russian army.
The publication notes that Ukrainian “Vampires” have become a favorite weapon of the Russians, and captured drones are being used across the entire front line. It has even reached the point where captured Ukrainian drones have already appeared in several propaganda videos on the official channel of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Given the systematic nature of this phenomenon, the Ukrainians will obviously seek countermeasures to prevent the reuse of captured drones. The author of the article sees several options—ranging from specific self-destruct mechanisms to infecting the drones with computer viruses.
“Russia’s reuse of captured Ukrainian heavy bomber drones reflects the broader reality of the war in Ukraine. In this grueling war of attrition, both sides have had to demonstrate ingenuity. By reusing captured Ukrainian ‘Baba Yaga’ drones, Russia was able to fill a gap without waiting for its defense-industrial base to fully develop and begin mass-producing similar systems,” Forbes concludes.
As a reminder, Russia attacked a substation in the Kramatorsk district with an FPV drone.
In the Zolochiv community of the Kharkiv region, a Russian drone attacked the Hryhorii Skovoroda National Literary and Memorial Museum.
