Soldiers of the Ghost of Khortytsia Unmanned Systems Battalion eliminated enemy drone operators by detecting them by following fiber optic wires.

The video of the combat operation was posted on the unit’s page.

The pilots of the 15th Kara-Dag Brigade used a reconnaissance copter to see a cluster of thin fiber optic wires from enemy FPV drones that gave off a glare in the sunlight.

With their help, the guardsmen tracked the drone control station in one of the abandoned buildings where the enemy operators were stationed. Immediately, their own attack drones flew out to eliminate them.

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— Karna La Vera (@Karna13377) February 18, 2025

Five enemy operators were killed on the spot with the help of FPV drones and quadcopter drops. Moklasen’s analyst geolocated their location in the Pokrovske direction, 6 km from the front line on the northern outskirts of Prohres.

At a time when the use of attack drones controlled by fiber optics instead of radio communication is being actively popularized, this event is extremely important as it shows the vulnerability of the tactics of using new weapons and should be a lesson for Ukrainian operators.

Unlike attack drones with traditional communication systems, fiber optic drone pilots run a high risk of disguising themselves with wires and must frequently change positions to protect themselves.

However, even such disadvantages are acceptable compared to the advantages of the new technology: drones with wired communication are completely immune to electronic warfare systems and have a high-quality and uninterrupted video communication channel, which enables them to maneuver smoothly in the most difficult environments.

Earlier this year, the Defense Innovation Directorate of the Ministry of Defense demonstrated Ukrainian fiber-optic FPV drones for representatives of the commands of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

A number of domestic manufacturers presented more than a dozen models of drones. Some of them are capable of carrying a warhead or other payload weighing up to 3 kilograms.

A number of Ukrainian unmanned systems units, such as the 414th Regiment “Madyar’s Birds,” are already successfully using them and further developing the technology, increasing the effective range of use to tens of kilometers.