Ukraine trains civilians and journalists to survive under drone attacks

"Imagine a projectile that doesn't follow a fixed trajectory but can maneuver, tracking the movements of a person or vehicle until it strikes. This is perhaps the biggest difference between the war in Ukraine and other past conflicts: the massive use, by both sides, of bomb drones and drones that launch explosives while pursuing their target. More than 60% of casualties on the front lines are caused by small unmanned aerial vehicles, most of them commercially available technology, accessible to anyone, but adapted to kill."

"This percentage of dead and wounded, according to Ukrainian military data, is not limited to soldiers. Civilians are also victims of indiscriminate attacks. Russian drones have killed more than 200 civilians and injured 2,000 since July 2024 in towns near the front lines. This data comes from a United Nations report published last October, which concludes that Russian troops are deliberately committing these war crimes against the civilian population."

"The kill zone is the military term for the area saturated with drones especially first-person view (FPV) drones, which the pilot controls with goggles that serve as a screen and other models, such as the Mavic, which have the screen integrated into the pilot's controller. The kill zone extends 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the front line. The city of Kherson, in the south of the country, lies on the zero line; only the Dnipro River separates it from the Russian positions."

Both sides deploy maneuvering bomb drones and explosive-seeking UAVs that pursue and strike moving persons and vehicles. Small commercially available drones, adapted for killing, cause over 60% of frontline casualties. Civilians suffer indiscriminate attacks as well as soldiers. Russian drones have killed more than 200 civilians and injured 2,000 in towns near the front since July 2024, according to United Nations findings that describe deliberate targeting of civilians. The "kill zone" denotes areas up to 20 kilometers from the front saturated with FPV drones and consumer models like the Mavic. Local training groups provide manuals advising civilians on survival measures such as avoiding camouflage clothing.

Read at english.elpais.com