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SOLDIERS stationed on Ukraine’s front line are utilizing remote-controlled trucks as a vital source for supplies.
The increasing number of enemy drones has made essential supply runs considerably more dangerous.
Troops on Ukraine's front line are utilizing remote-controlled trucks as a vital source for supplies, while being harassed by deadly dronesCredit: Peter Jordan
Ukraine has adopted unmanned ground vehicles, or UGVs, to traverse the perilous zones behind the front linesCredit: Peter Jordan
Consequently, troops have turned to unmanned ground vehicles, or UGVs, to navigate the hazardous “death zone” behind the front lines.
These vehicles have also been employed to evacuate injured soldiers.
A serviceman known by the codename Hornet shared with us this week: “With all the drones in the sky, we need to utilize drones on the ground. They save lives — it’s that straightforward.
“Why put a soldier’s life at risk unnecessarily when we can deploy a drone?
“These drones save lives. These drones save .”
The Sun accompanied soldiers on the outskirts of the bombarded city as they initiated resupply missions under the cover of darkness.
Hornet, a lorry dispatcher prior to the war, stated that both sides can detect and strike nearly anything that moves up to 12 miles behind the front lines.
The danger to troops in rural areas has escalated since both sides began using fiber optic drones, which are immune to detection.
These drones release a thread of fiber optic wire, similar to fishing line, allowing them to remain connected to their controller while flying up to 25 miles to their targets.
Hornet’s fleet of ground drones varies from vehicles the size of carry-on suitcases to small vans.
Some feature wheels or tracks, while others are designed to deploy landmines.
Additionally, some can carry grenade launchers and heavy machine guns.
The largest, the Tor 1000, can transport up to 800 kg of cargo and travel nearly 25 miles at speeds of up to 10 mph.
We observed as troops loaded a Tor 1000 with supplies, including wooden pallets to function as duckboards in wet trenches, batteries for radios, and a Vampire drone capable of carrying five or six mortar bombs.
With all the drones in the sky, we need to utilize drones on the ground. They save lives — it’s that straightforward.
A serviceman known as Hornet
The UGV was hitched to a trailer behind a 4x4 as we traveled in convoy to the launch point, along stretches of road covered with anti-drone netting.
Upon reaching the secret location, the soldiers unhitched the trailer ramp under the glow of headlamps, and the UGV sprang to life.
It was then operated by their comrades in a command bunker as it vanished into the darkness.
Later, we encountered the UGV operators controlling the trucks.
They included a doctor known as Turok, a US-born rap music producer referred to as Producer, and a former soldier codenamed .
Nike, 25, remarked: “I have witnessed too many lives lost. I prefer the idea of minimizing the number of people who need to be on the front lines.”
Turok, 39, expressed that he felt more beneficial as a drone operator than as a dermatologist.
Producer, who joined the fight to protect his parents’ homeland, stated: “Every time we carry out a mission, it means a person doesn’t have to take that risk. This is the future.”
The trucks are operated remotelyCredit: Peter Jordan
The Sun’s Jerome with one of the trucksCredit: Peter Jordan
