Cyber Training Ground in Practice

The first world war brought the use of tanks and war gases. The second, the atomic bomb. Russia's invasion of Ukraine became a testing ground for digital warfare solutions

Dmytro is wearing VR goggles and holding a plastic controller in his hand. If it were not for the military camouflage, you might think he were starring in a film about a relocation to the digital world of the Metaverse. Nothing of the sort. Dmytro is dealing with real problems. His unit is trying to push the Russians out of the territory they have occupied. The drone he controls is about to drop a small grenade on a Russian tank. Dmytro is the protagonist of a France24 report on how these devices are changing the face of war.

The use of combat drones or small unmanned aircraft is nothing new. They have been in use since the Americans started deploying them in large numbers in antiterrorist operations after the 9/11 attacks. Later on, they became popular all over the Middle East and are manufactured in Turkey and Iran, among others. In Ukraine, these unmanned military aircraft are being used by both sides of the conflict. Dmytro is not controlling a professional military drone, though. He is steering a small, inexpensive device used by civilians to take bird’s eye view photographs during times of peace.

The DJI Mavic 3 costs USD 1,700 and flies at 30 km at a top speed of 60 km/h. It can stay in the air for just over 40 minutes. It is enough to locate the enemy. And to transport a grenade over a tank. Even if the device is subsequently destroyed or runs out of battery, the calculation is simple: a few thousand euros is enough to cause the Russians to sustain losses amounting to several hundred thousand.