In a corn field in eastern Ukraine, soldiers fired drones into the sky using a slingshot, aiming at military targets in the country's Russian-occupied east, dozens of kilometers away.
"We're focusing on the enemy's bases in the field, ammunition depots and air-defense systems," said their commander from the 1st Center of the Unmanned Systems Forces, who asked to be identified by his call sign "Kyt," meaning "whale."
Ukraine is pouring resources into such "middle strikes" that target Russian air defenses and military logistics between 30 km and 180 km behind the front line. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said these strikes have quadrupled since February.
Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced a further 5 billion hryvnias ($113 million) in funding for the most effective middle-strike units.
