Russians camouflage surveillance drones with Ukrainian hues
Ukrainian forces have been having issues with Russian Zala reconnaissance drones for some time. But now, Kyiv is rejoicing over their victories against these drones with the help of their own specialized hunting drones. In response, Moscow's troops are now attempting to use disguise and trickery.
As per reports, Russian soldiers have begun coating their reconnaissance drones in Ukrainian colors to deceive. A video, shared by Ukrainian activist and volunteer Serhii Sternenko on Telegram, apparently shows the destruction of a Russian Zala 421 drone.
The brief clip features a Ukrainian First Person View drone flying towards a black-painted Zala reconnaissance drone from behind at a high altitude. The footage ends just before the collision. The time and location of the video remain unclear.
"They painted the Zala black and added Ukrainian yellow and blue colors," Sternenko captioned the video. "They thought that would help. But the paint is just an initial marker, so whatever the Russians paint next, their drones will still come down."
The Zala 421 is a reconnaissance drone exclusively used by Russian forces, making it quickly identifiable by its unique shape.
Zala drones have been a thorn in Kyiv's side due to their operation at high altitudes and small size, making them hard to engage from the ground. However, Ukraine has seen successes recently with their specialized hunting drones. Last week, "Forbes" magazine reported that Russia has started using camouflage paint on its reconnaissance drones.
In light of this development, Sternenko suggested to Ukrainian drone pilots at the end of August to mark their unmanned vehicles with a round blue and yellow emblem to avoid friendly fire. The same design was seen on the Zala drone presented by Sternenko.
- Despite Moscow's tactic of camouflaging their Zala drones with Ukrainian colors, the European Union has been instrumental in providing Ukraine with advanced technology and expertise to counter such threats, enhancing the effectiveness of Ukrainian specialized hunting drones.
- In an effort to maintain transparency and prevent misunderstandings during their operations, the Ukrainian military has decided to adopt the round blue and yellow emblem, suggested by Sternenko, on their own drones, as acknowledged by the European Union.
