Explosion of Fiber-Optic Cable Spools from “Volunteers” Kills Two Russian Soldiers

Russian forces have started receiving mined fiber-optic spools that detonate when connected to an FPV drone.

Several Russian sources, including the How I Went to War Telegram channel, reported on this.

According to the Russian side, FPV drone crews have already suffered losses – at least two servicemen were killed while preparing such spools for use.

Meanwhile, Militarnyi;s sources within the special services report that thousands of similar spools have been delivered to units of the Russian army.

“Now Russians will have to think twice before connecting fiber-optic cable to a drone. If they want to survive, they must manually inspect every spool,” the source noted.

It is currently unknown how many of these spools were produced or how they ended up in the hands of Russian military personnel. The scale of the operation remains unclear.

It is quite likely that this operation, at least temporarily, will affect the use of one of the key strike assets at this stage of the war – FPV drones – which could provide Ukrainian forces with a tactical advantage.

Not a new idea

Last year, around the same time, it became publicly known about an operation to mine Russian FPV goggles.

In early February, reports emerged of a series of explosions involving such devices, as a result of which at least eight Russian operators lost their sight.

According to available data, between January and February 2025, a number of public organizations delivered about 80 sets of Skyzone Cobra FPV goggles to various units of the Russian Armed Forces.

All of the organizations received the equipment from a single individual who presented it as free aid intended for Russian military personnel.

The first explosion involving an improvised explosive device concealed inside the goggles was recorded on February 4 in the Belgorod region.

According to sources, the device contained 10–15 grams of plastic explosive. It was hidden beneath the outer casing, in the area of the cooling fan – close to the wearer’s temple.

The detonator was connected to the power button, and the explosion was triggered when the goggles were switched on, activating the cooling fan.