Ukrainian soldiers armed with scissors say they cut any fiber-optic drone cable they see - even if it might be their own

"Troops say it doesn't matter if a drone is Ukrainian or Russian. If they're not sure, they just assume it's hostile. These unjammable drones controlled by long, thin cables have flooded the battlefield as a countermeasure to the electronic warfare that often renders radio-frequency drones inoperable. As these drones have become increasingly prolific, the result has been forests and trenches snarled with discarded and active cables."

"Ukrainian soldiers are cutting the wires of any and all fiber-optic drones they find. Some carry scissors so they can be ready when they find one. They also use knives and their bare hands. The threat these drones pose means that they don't even stop to consider who they belong to. These unjammable drones controlled by long, thin cables have flooded the battlefield as a countermeasure to the electronic warfare that often renders radio-frequency drones inoperable."

Ukrainian troops sever fiber-optic drone cables on sight, treating all tethered systems as potential threats regardless of origin. Tethered drones use long, thin fiber-optic lines to evade radio-frequency jamming, so they have proliferated across frontlines. Forests, trenches, and operating areas are commonly tangled with both discarded and active cables, creating reconnaissance and entanglement hazards. Units equip soldiers with scissors, knives, and sometimes retractors, and often mandate carrying scissors as standard gear. Because distinguishing new from old threads is difficult in the field, units routinely cut any fiber they encounter to neutralize possible hostile surveillance.

Read at Business Insider