KHARKIV REGION, Ukraine – In a foggy field in northeast Ukraine, four soldiers stare at red and yellow dots on a screen in ?the back of a van, armed with interceptor drones and energy drinks to get through the night.
These pilots, and about a thousand other crews like them, are on the frontlines of Ukraine’s drive to knock one of Russia’s most potent weapons out of the war: the Shahed drone.
“Even if you use 50 drones to shoot down one Shahed, it’s worth it,” said Borys, the commander of the crew, who was a TV news producer before the war upended his life. “One Shahed can fly in and destroy something far more valuable.”
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.