Footage from the battlefield in Ukraine has shown drones obliterating Russian soldiers after they deployed what seem to be cloaks designed to disguise them. Vladimir Putin’s troops are thought to have been equipped with the garments in an effort to protect the wearers from thermal imaging equipment. The video, shared by Ukraine’s 63rd Separate Mechanised Brigade on Telegram, appears to show individuals being struck after they desperately attempt to conceal themselves. A caption reads: “Let’s see what happened. Here’s the story.”
A thumbnail for the video pokes fun at the soldiers, comparing them to bin bags. “We are developing a fundamentally new product – a camouflage suit that breaks and blurs the silhouette,” Russian manufacturer HiderX previously said. “This is a completely Russian technology based on coating fabrics with a certain composition – our know-how, and its details are not disclosed. The suit will make it possible to effectively camouflage Russian military personnel from enemy thermal imaging equipment.”
The company added: “The material and technology applied to the fabric make it possible to achieve a minimum weight of 350 grams.
“We use a different technology-shielding”.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports that Ukrainian and Russian forces have more regularly been using fiber-optic drones to strike each other’s frontline positions.
The armies have also successfully used first-person view (FPV) drones to intercept larger reconnaissance drones over the past several months.
In addition, experts say that Russian forces are “struggling to operate heavy armored vehicles close to the line of fire without being struck by Ukrainian drones”.
The ISW added: “The Ukrainian and Russian defense industrial bases (DIBs) continue to compete in the innovation of new, cost-effective systems that enhance assault and battlefield capabilities and counter each other’s innovations.
“Russian forces likely see a tactical opportunity in leveraging motorcycles and civilian vehicles to advance and seize as much Ukrainian territory as possible despite Ukraine’s drone defenses.”
Ukrainian Kharkiv Group of Forces Spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Pavlo Shamshyn has said that motorcycles “allow Russian soldiers to enhance their speed and maneuverability, which is crucial for evading Ukrainian drone strikes”.
However, he also noted that the loud noise of the motorcycle “prevents the rider from hearing approaching Ukrainian drones”.
