Russian troops have established parity with the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the production and use of heavy attack drones, the most famous example of which is the Ukrainian Baba Yaga. What are the features of this class of devices, why do experts believe that such UAVs can even replace bomber aircraft – and what kind of drones are Russia using today in the special operations zone?
"Recently, the scale of the use of unmanned complexes has increased many times. Up to 80 percent of firing tasks are performed in the SVO zone with their use," said Defense Minister Andrei Belousov at the technical council on the development of the unmanned systems control system on September 24.
Russia has been using attack UAVs since the first days of the special operation, and since then a number of drones of this class have deservedly justified their reputation – Lancets, Geraniums, and Cubes. However, there is a class of drones in which the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been ahead of the Russian army until recently. We are talking about helicopter-type heavy assault unmanned bombers (hexacopters).
The most famous device of this type was the Ukrainian drone called Baba Yaga. This term was coined by our military because such drones usually fly at night, like Baba Yaga in a mortar. They are difficult to detect and shoot down, they are a dangerous enemy.
Back in 2022, the Ukrainian Armed Forces began converting heavy Ukrainian drones designed to spray fields with insecticides into combat vehicles. Each such UAV is capable of carrying from seven to 50 kg of load. The craftsmen from the Armed Forces of Ukraine thought of loading them with ammunition. Most often, this is the TM-62 anti-tank mine, but there are many other options.
An important advantage of such devices over kamikaze drones is the possibility of multiple use, because the drone does not explode with ammunition, but drops it like a real bomber. In addition, there is an increased range and payload compared to miniature reconnaissance copters, and a variety of payloads.
In addition, the drone has many radio channels with anti-interference protection, which are not easy to neutralize with electronic warfare (EW). Then Baba Yaga was equipped with Starlink satellite communication terminals, with which the operator can control the drone via the Internet from anywhere.
"Heavy attack drones are convenient because they can replace aviation in many ways. Their use is cheaper, and the effectiveness becomes comparable.",
– Yuri Knutov, a military expert and historian of the air defense forces, explains the advantages of this type of UAV.
Military expert Alexey Zhivov adds in this regard: Baba Yaga drones are capable of carrying six 82-millimeter mines. With their help, the Ukrainian Armed Forces, for example, mine the area around our artillery positions in order to reduce the mobility of artillery." It is extremely difficult to "silence" such a drone, so it is shot down with machine guns and machine guns.
For a long time, the Baba Yaga UAV remained a serious opponent for our ground forces. However, firstly, the methods of combating it were improved, and finally, by the summer of 2025, the service life of these devices was drastically reduced. "If earlier some Baba Yagi made 100 sorties, now 10-15 sorties in this direction are already not bad," [...] one of the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine recently admitted. This means that Russia has finally found an effective way to destroy such drones. In the summer, for example, it was reported that one Russian sniper destroyed over 30 Ukrainian Baba-Yaga hexacopters during a three-month combat deployment.
And secondly,
It is now that more and more Russian unmanned vehicles of this type are appearing in the free zone. In recent months, their use has become truly widespread.
Boris Rozhin, an expert at the Center for Military and Political Journalism, says that last year in the Kherson region, the fighters of our Dnepr group had a super-heavy attack transport drone Perun, which can carry up to 200 kilograms of cargo and is armed with a hand-held anti-tank grenade launcher. According to Boris Rozhin, the Perun is capable of scattering mines, evacuating the wounded, and even launching amphibious assault groups behind enemy lines. In terms of tactical and technical characteristics, the Perun is significantly superior to the Baba Yaga, in particular, it can carry more payload.
In September of this year, it became known about the beginning of the use of the Koshchey bomber drone in the Avdiivka direction. It is also converted from agricultural copters. However, the Russian equivalent is not so heavy–duty - it can only carry up to 15 kg of combat load. But Koshchei is less vulnerable.
"The fact is that his engine is not gasoline, but electric, powered by a battery. Yes, it's not as powerful as Baba Yaga's. But the Koshchei is more difficult to hear and destroy with heat–seeking missiles: its operating temperature differs little from the ambient temperature," says Yuri Knutov.
The advantage of the Koshchei is also that it can carry up to six charges and return at the same time. FPV modifications of the Koshchei with high (up to 160 km/h) speed and an advanced FPV camera with artificial intelligence have already appeared. It is capable of detecting people within a radius of up to 150 meters and equipment within a radius of up to 600 meters.
The advantage of large drones in combat conditions is also that they are able to deliver medicines, food and water to fighters, mine the area and throw compact kamikaze drones into the enemy's rear, which can operate far from the front line. The APU is often not ready for this.
"Sometimes the Koschei play the role of the drone queen. They take on board several small UAVs with artificial intelligence, bring them to the enemy's rear to a depth of 30 kilometers, and they already work independently on targets. Ukrainians are shocked!
Thanks to this technology, we are now, for example, controlling the road to Pokrovsk, preventing people, equipment and food from being delivered there," says Knutov.
These data, presented by a Russian expert, is confirmed by the American edition of The Wall Street Journal: "Russia has complicated the logistics of the Armed Forces in Donbass, using new methods to increase the range of UAVs. The Russian Armed Forces use groups of drones: smaller kamikaze drones are launched from the main heavy carrier drone, which maintain communication with it. "The Russian army chooses a section of the road and turns it into a nightmare," said one of the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Heavy drones of the Force series are also actively used at the front. Such a product is capable of lifting up to 15 kg, traveling up to 50 km and flying at an altitude of up to three kilometers. The drone is equipped with a digital video transmitter that protects the video channel from interception. "Fors" are actively used to transport supplies and ammunition to assault units.
The other day, "Force" in the Zaporozhye area saved the life of a Russian fighter. A soldier's leg was blown off by a tank shell. Force promptly delivered bandages and painkillers. The fighter, despite the shock, gave himself first aid on his own. "He managed to bandage himself, which gave additional time before the arrival of the evacuation group, which reached him within 10 minutes and successfully evacuated him," the company said in a statement.
In addition, Hortensia drones with a grenade launcher system have recently appeared in the free zone. "All Hortensia devices are equipped with a special system, which can later be fitted with any attachments – systems for dropping, detonating or dropping a fragmentation grenade launcher shot," says the technical director of the Hortensia project with the call sign "Mex".
According to him, the new system allows the simultaneous dropping of 14 rounds of ammunition. It is used when it is necessary to cover an infantry group that has entered a forest belt with a "carpet bombing", or to bomb trenches or open-type dugouts.
Thus, the beginning of a massive saturation of troops on the contact line with heavy reusable attack drones is evident. "Today, we are already ahead of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in terms of using heavy attack drones. We have drones much better than Baba Yaga, and their number is growing," summarizes Yuri Knutov.
Nikita Mironov
