Russia is increasingly using small fibre-optic FPV (First Person View) drones to strike high-voltage electricity substations in Ukraine’s Sumy region, bypassing electronic jamming systems and damaging critical energy infrastructure. Open-source investigators and Reuters verified multiple attacks in which the drones successfully penetrated heavily protected substations located up to 26 kilometres from the frontline.
According to investigators, Russian forces first use one drone to tear through anti-drone netting before sending a second drone through the opening to reach vulnerable equipment inside protective concrete structures. These drones, controlled through fibre-optic cables instead of radio signals, are resistant to electronic warfare and can destroy expensive autotransformers, causing entire transformer units to fail at a fraction of the replacement cost.
Analysts say the attacks appear to be part of a broader strategy to isolate Ukrainian regions from the national power grid and increase pressure on civilian infrastructure. Ukraine’s Sumy region has faced intensified attacks in recent months, with officials warning that Russia is attempting to make life in border areas increasingly difficult through sustained strikes on energy facilities.
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