Ukrainian drones are sowing chaos and panic in Putin’s army, as they rain down bombs on Russian armoured units.
Russia‘s army has regained the battlefield initiative, as Ukraine runs out of essential supplies of ammunition due to political stalemate in Washington.
Zelensky’s troops have had to cede more territory to their bitter enemy in recent weeks, amid fierce fighting on the frontlines.
Despite the lack of Western military aid, Ukraine has managed to ramp up production of its UAVs, including its much feared Vampire drone.
The drones have helped compensate for a lack of artillery shells and are wreaking havoc among Russia‘s armoured units.
Last week almost three quarters of losses sustained by Putin’s armoured units were inflicted by the deadly predators in the sky.
Colonel Ruslan Muzychuk of Ukraine‘s National Guard told reporters on April 16 that UAVS were behind the destruction of 70 percent of Russian armoured vehicles over the last seven days.
One of Ukraine‘s most feared UAVs is the so-called Vampire drone, which the Kremlin’s troops have nicknamed Baba Yaga after a witch from Russian folklore stories.
It is equipped with thermal imaging capabilities which allow it to operate at night, hence its name.
The Vampire has six rays and the same number of engines, enabling it to carry a hefty payload.
It can carry up to a maximum of 15 kg, although in practice, the effective payload is up to 12 kg.
The drone can perform a number of different missions which range from delivering aid to frontline troops to carrying out pinpoint strikes on targets that are difficult to reach for artillery and mortar fire.
The Vampire is also frequently used in bombing raids inside Russia. The Kremlin announced it had shot down some of the UAVS and a Tochka-U missile over the course of Wednesday.
Ukrainian drones managed to reach a major chemical plant in the Rostov region of Russia.
The Kamensky plant in southern Russia was targeted by three drones, which were shot down by Russian air defence systems. Falling debris caused damage to some of the buildings.
According to a CIA report from 2011, the plant is a major source of fuel production for Russian ballistic missiles.