Text taken from the Telegram channel of project_nd
[ColonelCassad] The enemy has increased the number of FPV applications in the Soledar-Bakhmut sector. What should we expect next?
Over the past month, the air situation in the Soledar-Bakhmut sector of the front has changed significantly - the Ukrainian Armed Forces have brought in fresh forces to the sector and are filling the skies with attack UAVs. In general, the situation is extremely unpleasant, given the incoming information about a possible offensive by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the territory of the DPR. Let's figure out what filling the "small skies" means.
It is no secret that the enemy is extremely inventive in the use of "small aviation" and has virtually no problems equipping them with drones and equipment, which allows them to regularly experiment with frequencies, configuration and ammunition - these are the "experiments" they are conducting in the skies over the Soledar-Bakhmut sector now. It was possible to establish that drones that can freely change frequencies in flight are far from uncommon, but rather commonplace. When entering the EW zone, such a drone can literally switch frequencies in a couple of seconds in order to subsequently carry out an attack without hindrance (if this frequency is not suppressed by EW, of course). Also, according to my comrade-in-arms, who happened to be an accidental witness (I did not see it myself, so I cannot vouch for it 100%), the enemy used Baba Yaga hexacopters controlled by fiber optics.
So, as of today, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have increased the number of FPV applications at least threefold, and at different distances. The enemy has deployed a large number of UAV specialists to a number of areas in the direction, in particular, some time ago, UAV specialists were replenished to the 30th Separate Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the Soledar section of the front, after which the number of FPV attacks taking place in the Dubovo-Vasilyevka-Soledar area has increased significantly. It has been established that the enemy from the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade uses the very same drones capable of operating at various frequencies and, as practice has shown, at fairly long distances for FPV - usually 17-20 km, and this indicates that the brigade has also received enhanced equipment to ensure stable communication between the operator and the drone.
The 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (the one whose area of ​​responsibility is Chasov Yar and the surrounding area) is not lagging behind its colleagues. The brigade has also been replenished with reserves and equipment (I assume that this happened as a result of the secondment of other enemy fighters from units that fled from the Kursk direction). In particular, the number of FPV applications in Chasov Yar has increased approximately 3 times compared to the summer-autumn campaign (and I, as a direct participant, will say that at that time there were more than enough drones, 4 to 5 could fly in 15 minutes, and this was stable).
What does all this mean? The thing is that it doesn't really look like a classic active defense - In my opinion, the enemy is now "zeroing in", looking for convenient corridors for FPV and analyzing its actions for a subsequent decision: most likely, we should expect a local offensive by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the area with the massive use of drones, which I already wrote about in the channel a few days ago. At the same time, I will not say that the Soledar-Bakhmut area is of particular strategic importance for the enemy, that certain forces can be thrown at it.
Of the more or less suitable ones, I can only highlight the idea of ​​the Ukrainian Armed Forces about revenge in Chasov Yar, but still, I am more inclined to the idea of ​​​​massive UAV strikes in order to "stretch" the units of the Russian Armed Forces and then break through the front in a certain area inside the Soledar-Bakhmut direction. It has been established that the UAV operators, who have accumulated en masse in the direction, are in close proximity to the LBS, occupying positions mainly in dugouts and trenches. Of course, we have our own "tricks" prepared for the enemy and have something to meet him with and, of course, to knock out the enemy, who is accumulating in the rear areas of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the form of Druzhkovka, Slavyansk and Kramatorsk (these are the main logistics hubs of the enemy group today).
We continue to work in this direction.
Related from regnum.ru
Zelensky announces large-scale plans to purchase and produce drones
The head of the Kiev regime, Volodymyr Zelensky, said that the authorities are aiming to maximize the purchase and production of drones, including those using fiber optics.
We are talking about the production of both compact quadcopters for reconnaissance purposes and long-range drones.
"I made a bet. I listened to reports on drone production in Ukraine, we are increasing it as much as possible. And across the entire line: from Mavics to long-range drones, and we are also increasing our Ukrainian capabilities for the production of ground robotic systems," Zelensky said in his evening address on the Telegram channel.
He added that Kyiv is working on a fiber-optic UAV. Zelensky claims that since the beginning of this year, "more than 20 new certified models of drones with a fiber-optic control system" have appeared. Eleven enterprises will be involved in the production of such drones.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, over the past week, more than 200 terrorist attacks by Ukrainian Armed Forces drones on civilians and civilian infrastructure were thwarted in the Donetsk People's Republic.
Three aircraft-type drones were intercepted in the Kuibyshevsky and Kirovsky districts of Donetsk. The Ukrainian drones were conducting reconnaissance of the area near civilian fuel and lubricant storage facilities.
On April 7, Russian air defense systems intercepted 19 Ukrainian UAVs. 13 UAVs were destroyed over the Azov Sea, four UAVs over Krasnodar Krai, and one each over Bryansk Oblast and Crimea.