KYIV: Earlier this winter, Ali’s unit was flying an interceptor drone in subzero temperatures on the front when the camera suddenly froze, sabotaging their mission to detect and thwart an incoming Russian attack.
Temperatures across the 1,200-kilometer (745-mile) front line have plunged to their lowest of the entire four-year Russia-Ukraine war, complicating the use of battery-powered drones, central to both sides’ military tactics.
“The impact on our drones is completely negative,” said Ali, who asked AFP to identify him by his call sign, in line with military protocol.
“Batteries lose charge faster, the cameras and wires freeze, they just ice up.”
Both Russia’s and Ukraine’s army have come to use cheap drones ubiquitously.
