How Ukrainian drone teams operate in Kursk

The Ukrainian offensive on Kursk is at a critical point after Russia launched a counterattack this week. The British Guardian gained a rare insight into the work of Ukrainian teams directly involved in the operations in the Kursk region.

Before the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Anna, Pavlo and Ivan were a logistics student, a real estate developer and a financial directorToday, the three form a team of mobile drone pilots. Their area: a section of the Seim River, which flows through the direct border area.

They use drones to observe how the Russian army is operating in the region. For example, where temporary bridges are being built. “Their entire garrison on our side of the river needs food and ammunition, and for that they need a bridge. The faster we destroy their logistics routes, the faster our guys can advance,” says Commander Ivan. “The game continues every day: they try to repair them, we try to destroy them,” he said. But they too cannot predict what will happen next. “It’s all very dynamic,” says Ivan.

Tetiana Romaniuk is a volunteer paramedic stationed near the border. She says: “There is a feeling of much greater danger on this front than on others.” Especially during night-time rescue operations, she is afraid of being ambushed by the Russians. Sometimes wounded people have to wait for days before they can be rescued. “Minor injuries turn into serious injuries while they wait to be evacuated; and serious injuries can unfortunately lead to death without access to qualified help.”

The most important news of the day at a glance

• After the Russian president wanted to classify a possible Ukrainian use of Western weapons against targets on Russian territory as NATO’s participation in the war, CDU foreign policy politician Norbert Röttgen described this as absurd and propaganda. Röttgen told the Tagesspiegel newspaper: “Putin is getting tangled up in his own propaganda.” More here
• US President Joe Biden should allow Ukraine to use fighter jets and long-range missiles against targets in Russia as soon as possible. This was demanded by Democratic Congressman Jake Auchincloss in an interview with CNN on Thursday. More here
• Russia has withdrawn the accreditation of six British diplomats, citing allegations of espionage and a deliberate “threat to Russian security.” “In retaliation for London’s many unfriendly acts,” “six employees of the political department of the British Embassy in Moscow” lost their accreditation, the Russian domestic intelligence service FSB announced on Friday. More here
• The Japanese army sent fighter jets on Thursday after two Russian planes circled the island nation. The Russian aircraft did not enter Japanese airspace, the Defense Ministry said on Friday. More here
• The Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Sergei Shoigu, traveled to North Korea and met with ruler Kim Jong Un on Friday. Shoigu’s meetings in Pyongyang took place “in a uniquely trusting and friendly atmosphere,” the Russian Security Council said on its website. More in the live blog
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused the West of being “afraid” to talk about helping Ukraine shoot down Russian missiles. “If the allies jointly shoot down missiles and drones in the Middle East, why is there still no similar decision to jointly shoot down Russian missiles and (Iranian) shahids in the skies of Ukraine?” Zelensky said on Friday at a conference in Kyiv.
• According to Ukrainian reports, Russian forces are increasing their attacks in eastern Ukraine near the contested town of Kurakhove. The government in Kiev said this was the worst fighting this month.
• Ukraine has become the country with the highest mortality rate and the lowest birth rate in the world. This is according to the latest data from The World Factbook reports on mortality and fertility rates in the world.
• The Russian central bank has surprisingly raised its key interest rate in view of persistent inflation. The key rate will be increased from 18 to 19 percent, monetary authorities announced in Moscow on Friday.
• The chairwoman of the Defence Committee in the European Parliament, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP), warns the West not to allow itself to be intimidated by Russian President Vladimir Putin. On rbb24 Inforadio, Strack-Zimmermann said that there was only a chance for diplomacy through Ukraine’s military strength.
• The imprisoned Belarusian opposition leader Maria Kalesnikava is in a critical condition, according to her sister. She has been held in inhumane conditions for four years and weighs only 45 kilograms and is 1.75 meters tall, Tatjana Chomitsch said in an interview with the Reuters news agency outside her home country.