Drones have had a fundamental impact on soldiers' everyday lives on the battlefield. So says David Hambling, British journalist and author specializing in drone warfare. Trenches and dug holes in the ground, which throughout history have been a good protection in battle, do not work against drones.
"If you're in a hole in the ground, it turns into a grave if a drone drops a bomb while you're there," Hambling said.
On social media, tips are now spreading among Russian soldiers, including from blogger "Russian engineer", on how to increase the chance of surviving an attack with drones.
Most important: Not being found at all
The most important tips are about not being found at all. David Hambling describes it as soldiers being urged to be good campers: not to leave rubbish, destroy vegetation or the like.
"These are things that will reveal your position – drones will find you and you're dead.
Drones in warfare "the start of an evolution"
The extent to which Russia also uses drones against Ukrainian soldiers is difficult to get a picture of, they do not publish as much on social media. But according to David Hambling, it is known that Russia does not have the same level of technical competence.
However, it is clear that the use of drones on the battlefield is here to stay, he says:
"It's a new type of warfare that is developing in real time. We see the start of an evolution and we do not yet know where it will go.