Russia is stepping up its hunt for top targets: the pilots powering Ukraine’s drone fight

• Ukrainian drone pilots have become top targets for Russia, which is increasingly gunning for them.
• Ukrainian soldiers and drone operators said it’s because pilots play a valuable role in combat.
• The efforts underscore how drones continue to influence battlefield decisions.

Russia has marked Ukraine’s drone pilots as top threats and high-value targets, and is increasingly gunning for them.

Several Ukrainian soldiers and drone operators told Business Insider that Russia is hunting for and has ramped up its attacks on drone pilots, using missiles, bombs, and other weapons to strike suspected operator positions. One operator said that they are “target No. 1” because of their ability to hinder missions.

The growing desire to eliminate drone operators, force multipliers who may launch countless drone attacks over a deployment, highlights the tremendous impact that drones have, from gathering critical battlefield intelligence to executing precision strikes at a fraction of the cost of other munitions.

Artem, an officer in Ukraine’s 3rd Army Corps who asked to be identified only by his first name for security reasons, said the death toll for drone pilots has skyrocketed over the past few years.

Earlier in the war, it was rare for drone pilots to be targeted and killed, but now it’s becoming a much more common occurrence, said Artem, a former deputy battalion commander within Ukraine’s elite 3rd Assault Brigade.

Drones, especially ones equipped with small explosive payloads, have become the dominant battlefield killers in Ukraine, responsible for around 70% of casualties on both sides of the war, according to recent assessments.

Such explosive-laden drones have been used to devastating effect. Cheap, quadcopter-style drones, which can cost as little as a few hundred dollars, are taking out multimillion-dollar tanks. The war in Ukraine has consumed thousands of tanks and armored vehicles, with many damaged or destroyed by drones.

Drones aren’t always the delivery mechanism for death on the battlefield, though. They’re also used as overhead reconnaissance and targeting assistance platforms, helping to direct weapons such as artillery in battle.

Russia has increasingly targeted Ukrainian drone pilots because they are seen as a severe threat. Artem, the current head of military partnerships at the independent Snake Island Institute, said that the more skilled they become and the more effective they can be in combat, the more Russia views taking them out of the fight as a major priority.

Justin Bronk, a senior research fellow for airpower and technology at the Royal United Services Institute, a UK think tank, wrote in an August report that Ukrainian drone pilot casualties have increased at a “rapid rate” throughout the spring and summer of this year.

He said that Russian troops have focused their efforts on locating pilots and striking them.

A Ukrainian drone pilot, who spoke to Business Insider on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military issues, said that “when the enemy spots a drone operator somewhere, it uses every single thing at its disposal — every type of weaponry” — to eliminate them.

Often, Russia will extensively hammer an area with expensive bombs and missiles even if there might only be one or two drone pilots in the area, Artem said. The overkill efforts to devastate suspected pilot positions speak to how Russia sees enemy drone operators.

It isn’t just Moscow’s forces that see drone pilots as top targets, though. Ukraine’s gunning for them too.

Dimko Zhluktenko, a pilot with Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces who has flown strike and reconnaissance drones, previously told Business Insider that his forces also try their best to target their Russian counterparts. “If we find them, they are high-value targets as well,” he said.

This is particularly true for Russian pilots who operate fixed-wing reconnaissance drones, he shared.

The Ukrainians said they strive to protect themselves from Russian attacks by building stronger shelters, working from deeper underground, rotating frequently to avoid staying in the same spot for too long, and even creating fake positions to try to fool the enemy.

Artem said the war is fast-paced and constantly evolving, and the tactics of this year might not resemble those of the next.

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