Birdsong filled the air as the sun dipped behind golden sunflowers when a growling sound like a moped broke the quiet. A Ukrainian officer, Lt Col Ray from the 414th aviation brigade, ducked into a ditch for cover.
A moment later, a Ukrainian drone shot into the purpling sky. It climbed sharply, trailing orange fire, then glided smoothly on. The craft looked like a slim, gray two-winged plane with a wooden propeller and tail.
Technology turns battlefield into sky
Four and a half years after Putin launched his invasion of Kyiv, the war has taken to the skies. The conflict now rages among drones, a unique battle that mixes fast innovation, tech, and speed.
Democracy is winning against authoritarianism. It’s like Orwell’s story. But this time, Big Brother is the one who loses,” Ray said, watching the drone disappear into the sky, its engine humming.
Operation: Crimean 'switch off'
The drone was heading toward Crimea, a beautiful area with coastlines and chalky cliffs, which Russia seized in 2014 and later fortified. Soon, two more long-range drones followed, soaring above the fading light over the steppes.
Each drone was packed with 50 to 100 kilograms of explosives. After finishing their mission, the soldiers quickly packed up, coiling cables with practiced skill. Within ten minutes, they vanished along a bumpy, tree-lined road.
Crews far from the fighting launched drones across Ukraine at set times each evening. From their computers, operators guided them toward targets. These models can travel over 2,500 kilometers.
Four hours later, the first drone reached its goal: Alushta, a seaside town in Russian-occupied Crimea. It twisted through apartment buildings before slamming into a 110kV power station.
Flames shot up, breaking the night. The strikes of July 21 were part of Ukraine’s plan to cut off power and supplies to Crimea, known internally as the 'switch off' campaign.
That same night, 13 power facilities were targeted. Some were in regions like Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, which the Russian government claims to have annexed.
Rise of Ukrainian drone warfare
Since 2022, Russia has bombed Ukrainian cities every night, using Iranian-made drones and advanced missiles. The attacks worsened after Donald Trump regained the presidency last year.
These attacks come in waves, destroying homes and lives in a deliberate strategy of fear. Ukraine, once dependent on Western help, now builds its own weapons and tech.
Ukraine has become the top global leader in drone tech. The drones that hit Crimea last week were made in Kyiv by a defense startup. Company staff are also involved in missions.
Ray’s unit, named after the Greek god Kairos who represents chance and timing, has carried out hundreds of missions deep into Russian territory. Targets have included oil refineries, storage facilities, and arms depots.
They also attacked ports, harbors, and key transport links like roads and rail. In 2026, Ukrainian drones struck Moscow and St Petersburg, shocking Russia’s president and bringing the war into his homeland.
“I believe Putin is frightened,” Ray said. “He said his war was to stop Ukraine from bombing Moscow. But it is happening now because of his choices.”
Ray described feeling “revenge and justice” every time a drone he launched flew into the night sky toward the enemy. We fight for our freedom, for our people, for those who are no longer with us, and for our children’s future. This is a battle between those who are free and those who are not,” he said.
Ukraine’s drone program operates in secrecy. A team analyzes targets. Most information comes from public sources, with some support from Western allies. Crews get locations just before launching.
No one in the launch teams has been hurt or killed, even though Moscow tries to find and destroy takeoff areas. An insider said: “You are changing the world. Trump notices what happens. But the work is very solitary.”
Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) used newly developed Magura naval platforms carrying FPV (first-person-view) drones to strike two Russian radar-related targets in occupied Crimea for the first time, the agency said on Aug. 3. The operation, carried out by HUR's Group 13 special unit in late July, targeted a command vehicle belonging to a Podlet radar system and a Parol-4 identification friend-or-foe radar interrogator, according to the agency.
HUR said Group 13 had previously destroyed nine Russian vessels and damaged five others using Magura naval drones. The unit had also destroyed three helicopters and two fighter jets and damaged another helicopter, according to the agency.
HUR first publicly presented its latest Magura sea drones on May 14, 2025. The platforms have played a key role in Ukraine's Black Sea campaign, with Group 13 using them to strike 17 Russian naval and aerial targets as of May 2025, according to the agency.
Explosions and fires were reported across occupied Crimea overnight on Aug. 3. Local residents reported explosions in Kerch, and the Crimean Bridge, which connects the occupied peninsula with mainland Russia, was closed at around 1 a.m. local time, according to a local monitoring channel.
An electrical substation in Kerch had been struck, and satellite imagery showed a fire near a worker camp built for personnel involved in the construction of the Crimean Bridge. The fire was around 300 meters from the TES oil and gas terminal, a facility that has previously come under attack, according to the Telegram channel Crimean Wind.
Among the sites hit were an oil depot in occupied Feodosia and Kerch's central market, where a fire broke out, Crimean Wind reported.
Ukraine's General Staff later confirmed strikes on several Russian military logistics sites in occupied Crimea. Ukrainian forces struck a logistics warehouse and a repair base used by a Russian artillery brigade near Nove Zhyttia, the General Staff said. The facility was used to store weapons, spare parts, and other supplies, as well as to repair artillery and military equipment.
Logistics warehouses near Okunivka and Naumivka and a communications hub near Artemivka were also struck, according to the General Staff.
Russia's Defense Ministry claimed that its forces intercepted 131 drones overnight over occupied Crimea, the Black Sea, and several Russian regions.