Russian Shahed drones drop anti-tank mines which are not visible due to snow
Russian Shahed drones are dropping PTM-3 anti-tank mines in various parts of Ukraine.
Source: Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov, a Ukrainian military radio technology expert
Quote: "In some cases this is simply a matter of mining specific areas on the ground, but often it involves mining locations near the impact site of a Shahed drone. The idea is that emergency service or police vehicles will drive towards the Shahed and be blown up. The mine has a magnetic detonator."
Details: According to Flash, such instances of mines being dropped from Shahed drones have been known for some time. They have become more frequent due to deep snow. Previously, the mines could be spotted visually, but now they are no longer visible.
He advises against approaching a downed Shahed by vehicle, especially along its flight or crash trajectory.
Background:
- The Russians began attaching cluster anti-tank mines to Shahed drones back in August 2025. The mines react to nearby vehicles and, as Flash previously wrote, may be intended for carrying out attacks on public roads.
- In October, it became known that for attacks on Sumy Oblast, Russian forces were mounting two containers with anti-tank mines under the wings of Shahed drones.
- At the beginning of January this year, Ukrainian troops discovered a man-portable air defence system (MANPADS) mounted on one of the Russian-made Shahed-type attack UAVs. The system had been set to target acquisition and launch mode, meaning the drone operator only had to wait for a Ukrainian aircraft or helicopter to appear directly in its line of flight.
- Defence Intelligence of Ukraine has also published an interactive diagram, components and an electronic components database for the Geran-2 unmanned aerial vehicle (series E) equipped with the Verba man-portable air defence system.
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