Kill zone on both sides of front line reaches 25 km, says Ukraine's drone commander
The depth of what is known as the kill zone, a heavily contested frontline area under constant surveillance and fire, has already reached 25 km or more on both sides of the front line. The high concentration of strike systems in these areas also makes the movement of troops and logistics dangerous.
Source: Robert "Magyar" Brovdi, Commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda
Quote: "This distance forms the so-called grey zone, which has increasingly come to be referred to as the kill zone. As of today, I estimate it at 25 km or more, depending on the section of the front."
Details: Brovdi stressed that he is referring not to the maximum flight range of individual drones, but to the regularity and density of strikes.
"Accordingly, the concentration of systems regularly delivering strikes at a depth of 25 km on both sides is already high enough for this corridor to be considered dangerous for unhindered, problem-free and repeated movement, even for military personnel carrying out combat tasks," he explained.
According to the commander, the assessment is based on data from a unified situational awareness system that shows "the depth of regular sorties and successful strikes by various systems".
Brovdi also warned that the danger affects not only military personnel, but also civilians and logistics near the line of contact.
"As of today, I would not advise anyone to approach the grey frontline zone within 25 km on either side without proper preparation, necessity, protective equipment and everything else," he added.
Separately, Brovdi commented on the concept of a drone warfare "ecosystem", which the Unmanned Systems Forces refer to as a "borshch recipe". According to Brovdi, these are units capable of conducting almost autonomous combat operations thanks to the combination of FPV drone crews, bomber drones, reconnaissance units, electronic warfare and electronic intelligence systems, logistics and remote mining capabilities.
Background:
- Ukrainska Pravda reported earlier that soldiers from the 3rd Army Corps had used a ground robot to evacuate four civilians, including an injured woman, from the grey zone on the Lyman front.
- Ukrainian forces are also striking targets much further from the front line. Pilots from the Azov unit – Ukraine's 1st Corps of the National Guard – posted a video showing the operation of reconnaissance-strike systems in temporarily occupied Mariupol and said they patrol roads up to 160 km from the line of contact.
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