June 9, 2025: When a country is at war and the situation becomes desperate, speedy innovation is the only way out. Ukraine managed to adapt because its population contains a higher number of technically adept people than Russia or most Western nations. Ukraine also put most of its drone production operations underground. This includes warehouses for storing drone components and areas where new drone technology can be developed and current drone use and operations can be monitored.

Ukraine also uses bottom-up control of drone use. Platoon commanders and members of that platoon are allowed to make drone use decisions on the spot. That includes when and how often to use electronic jamming and other countermeasures. Worse for the Russians is that the Ukrainians are significantly faster at updating and modifying their drone designs and tactics. Whoever is first to use a new technology or tactic tends to prevail

Russian soldiers still wait for orders before acting. No orders mean nothing happens on the Russian side. This is one reason the Russians are running out of infantry. Russia can barely cover the thousand kilometers front line, and the current number of Russian ground attacks is miniscule.

This is Russia’s own fault. They persisted in making frontal assaults, often with ill-prepared and poorly trained soldiers. It barely worked in World War II, and it was noted then that by 1945 most of the Russian soldiers were from Central Asian parts of Russia. These men were rarely trusted to serve as front line infantry but at the end of the war there were few Slavic Russians available. In Ukraine history has repeated itself.

Ukraine conserved its manpower while accelerating the development and use of weapons that could be operated from a distance. Ukrainian drone operators and support personnel are kept safely away because they are the key personnel needed to defeat the Russians.

Ukrainian drone operators operate from whatever location is suitable and available. This can be from a civilian car or truck, as well as a bunker or the wreckage of bombed out buildings. Vehicles are preferred because they can quickly move drone control equipment, jammers, electronic warfare and supplies of drones to portions of the front line to stay within radio range of their drones. In some sectors of the front drones inflict 90 percent of the casualties. Drones are responsible for nearly two-thirds of Russian casualties and equipment losses.

Most of these drones are the FPV/First Person Viewing model that allows the operator to see where the drone is going. Another surveillance drone records the attack by an FPV drone which destroys itself along with its Russian target. Ukraine constantly adds new models to its drone force.

Ukrainian troops are now receiving over a quarter-million drones a month. The drones are considered rounds of ammunition, like a bullet, artillery shell or hand grenade. Ukraine also received American satellite surveillance and intercepts of Russian electronic communications. That flow of information is sometimes interrupted by American political disputes. The Ukrainians have dealt with that as well, at least for short periods.

Another advantage is the U.S. based SpaceX Starlink satellite network overhead. Ukrainian forces have the Starlink ground terminals which consist of a small satellite dish, controller and battery. Each of these can be carried in a soldier's backpack and set up anywhere within minutes. Russian troops still lack suitable and reliable radios and the Russian space satellite networks have deteriorated over the last decade to a level of barely and unreliably functioning.

The Russians know that they are in trouble but their leader, Vladimir Putin, will deny it to the end. That end appears to be due in late 2025 or early 2026. With help from their only allies, North Korea and Iran, Russia can still launch an occasional large-scale bombardment with missiles and drones. These usually do little damage because the Ukrainians detect their approach and have developed a constantly evolving air-defense system. When pressed, Russia blames these problems on NATO assistance. The last thing Russia wants to admit is that they are being defeated by Ukrainians.