On January 16, Ukraine’s digital minister Mykhailo Fedorov again called for donations of drones to help the war effort. Assisted by intelligence experts and based on content available in open source, the specialized media numeral He was able to analyze an ingenious practice of the Ukrainian army: transforming commercial drones of the Chinese brand DJI into kamikaze devices.
The videos prove such use of drones. To analyze them, Numerama turned to Project Fox, a group of anonymous people specializing in intelligence. They were particularly interested in the Ukrainian army unit “Krela”, which posted a series of videos on YouTube.
The action takes place in Zaporijia (south-eastern Ukraine), anti-armor grenades are attached to simple commercial drones. After a reconnaissance mission, the drones drop on the target, here a hangar, causing several explosions. Other publications show these misuses like on twitter.
The donations are coming
The military is building a fleet of kamikaze drones and is even asking for donations of devices. Which worked since deliveries came from Norway, Poland, but also from the United States. Other donations made possible the purchase of 1,400 devices.
DJI drones can be purchased at any high-tech store and start at €800. “The cost of the attack can be more interesting than sending missiles, especially if it allows you to pulverize an ammunition depot,” Numerama analyzes.
Ukraine is inspired by Russian practices. In March 2022, Ukraine even called the DJI drone manufacturer abandon its trade agreements with Russia.
Source: BFM TV
