I flew a drone over the fierce battlefields of Ukraine. The past few months have set the boundaries of today’s drone warfare.

• Dimko Zhluktenko is a drone operator who provides vital data to defend Ukraine’s position.

• The sergeant was last deployed to Pokrovsk, a major battleground where Ukraine says it is outnumbered.

• Ukraine needs more than drones to stop Russia’s brutal advances, he says.

This essay is based on a conversation with Sgt. Dimko Zhluktenko, ISR drone team leader in the Unmanned Systems Forces of Ukraine. He deployed in 2025 near Pokrovsk, a major city captured by Russia in early December.

Business Insider has confirmed his role in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The article has been edited for length and clarity.

Before full-scale war, I was a software engineer, working for companies in San Francisco, New Zealand and Germany.

Today, I lead a team of five to six Ukrainian drone operators. Our mission is to use high-flying drones to provide reconnaissance data to our troops and commanders.

With our intelligence, artillery such as HIMARS and drone strike teams can target Russian equipment and soldiers, often before they reach the front lines.

We were redeployed to the Pokrovsk region in August because the fighting had intensified there. Because drone operators are priority targets in war, we spend our days wandering around houses and underground bunkers outside the city.

When we first arrived, the weather was sunny and perfect for flying.

But the end of October was a disaster for us. Ukraine turns to fog in autumn, thick and low-lying clouds that can accumulate 100 meters to 300 meters above the ground.

These are so thick that no infrared camera or thermal camera can see through them, and most days are a complete no-go for our type of drones to fly.

At that time, the Russians took advantage of the clouds, using them to cover their advance on foot and vehicles. Given the weather, the number of personnel they sacrificed to take the city, and our limited resources, there was ultimately no practical way to defend Pokrovsk forever.

Ukraine is dependent on drone warfare. It has brought us through the horrors and horrors of these Russian invasions, and it has changed the face of war. For the entire summer of 2025, for example, I saw a tank on the battlefield only twice.

Drones are cheap and effective, and if we had an unlimited number of drones, we would be working 24/7 to fight the Russians in Pokrovsk.

But we don’t have infinite drones, so in the meantime, we need other strike equipment and resources, such as more artillery fire and troops. War is complex, and drones cannot be the only solution.

flying blind

Under normal circumstances, we fly our drones four times a day, each flight lasting about three to four hours and sometimes at night. It’s tiring, but worth it, because you can make a big difference for the Ukrainian defenders. We can find out where Russian forces are moving, denying them the element of surprise, and scout for assets like air defenses and artillery to attack commanders.

Recon drone operators like us rely heavily on visual navigation. We study Pokrovsk so closely that, even when simulating our drone, we can determine our flight location simply by the shape of the terrain or landmark.

When foggy weather arrives, we try to maximize any good visibility. Sometimes, you might get lucky and perform five flights in a five-day rotation.

However, there were days when we found ourselves sitting at home waiting for the weather to clear.

You can try flying below the clouds, but going low means our big drones are easily seen and destroyed. Since we have limited tools, we try to preserve them and not use them carelessly.

Still, on windy days, the clouds are likely to break slightly and give a glimpse of the battlefield. Sometimes, when visibility is poor but not impossible to operate, we must take the risk of flying in such weather, especially if our forces are defending against a major attack.

By late summer, Pokrovsk’s position was becoming increasingly problematic, both on the ground and in the air. During the day, we’ll help focus long-range artillery on the Russian rear.

In the fall, we were working with units fighting at close range.

Russia’s brutal, simple math

I started to see Russia’s strategy taking effect around September.

Across the battlefield, their strategy is to locate our border and overrun it with the fewest number of soldiers needed to occupy our positions.

It’s simple math. At first, they used to send about 10 soldiers. If that wasn’t enough, they’ll send 20. Then they will try 30.

Day by day, they increase the number of troops and equipment. Their goal is to create a situation where we don’t have enough drones to deal with the amount of attacking infantry.

To repel an attack of 50 guys, all spread out, we need at least 150 drones and artillery, which is difficult to manage with our limited resources.

When we were operating in Pokrovsk, there were already areas of the city where the Russians had advanced, so the battle zone was porous and ill-defined.

Ukraine needs more than drones

If we had more troops, we could have lasted much longer and performed more aggressive maneuvers.

If we had more recon drones, our team could fly over Pokrovsk non-stop, working despite the clouds.

With more first-person-view strike drones, our pilots can continue to seek out and attack the Russians close to the ground.

But we don’t have enough. So, we need strike tools other than FPV drones, even though they account for about 80% of our kills on the Russians.

Ironically, some of these tools have disappeared because warfare has changed so much. Mortars might have helped, but we mostly stopped using them—the battlefield is now so transparent that driving around the front line in your pickup truck with mortars is a suicide mission.

What we need is artillery ammunition. Last year, some of the HIMARS units I worked with were rationed in four strikes a week.

Other artillery units were limited to three artillery shells a day. We’ll find them a target, and they’ll say: “We don’t have anything else for today. Sorry, guys.”

This season’s weather is still what drone pilots call our “low season.” At the same time, the terrain is no longer very muddy, so this is the perfect time for the Russians to attack.

This month, I’m revisiting Dnipro. The fight continues.

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