Financial Times: The War In Ukraine Has Reached A New Level
- 24.02.2026, 8:07
Tactics and logistics have changed radically.
Even at a considerable distance from the front line, any mistake can cost lives. The new reality of the war in eastern Ukraine has changed the army's tactics, logistics and the very concept of the home front.
The Financial Times reports that.
Drone warfare and the new danger zone
According to the publication, even tens of minutes away from Russian positions, any activity can become deadly.
Helicopters are constantly operating over the positions, and fiber-optic communication lines used to control vehicles and drones crisscross the fields.
Pickup trucks used by the military are protected by metal structures in an attempt to reduce the risk of impact.
In frontline areas, infrastructure is also adapting to the threat. In Kherson, protective nets are being stretched over roads and hospitals to reduce the risk of air attacks.
Movement only at night
Close to the contact line, the usual traffic has all but disappeared. Military personnel go into position at night, use anti-heat cloaks or wait for thick fog.
Food and equipment supplies are often delivered by drones, and evacuation of the wounded is sometimes carried out by robotic systems.
Marine veteran and head of the Come Back Alive Foundation Taras Chmut called what is happening a "death zone."
"The war has changed radically. And every month the death zone is getting bigger. Europeans still find it hard to understand."
FPV drones are changing the frontline
Pivotal to the new tactics are FPV drones that track vehicles and attack them with precision. As a result, conventional vehicles have almost disappeared from areas near the front.
The representative of the 93rd brigade "Kholodny Yar" Irina Rybakova noted that in the immediate combat zone transport is practically not used.
To protect the roads, kilometers of nets are stretched over them, forming a kind of tunnels. However, even such protection does not guarantee safety.
The front has become a testing ground for modern means of combat and countermeasures. Electronic warfare, which jams drone control signals, is actively used.
In response, Russian forces use drones on long fiber-optic cables - sometimes up to 40 kilometers - that are immune to radio interference.
Classical armored columns have all but disappeared. The military is increasingly using simple methods of defense: armed pickup trucks, netted weapons to intercept drones and other improvised solutions.
At the same time, unusual methods of attack are also being recorded, from moving in small groups under camouflage to using motorcycles, buggies and even horses.