On Wednesday, Transneft reported that it had found mines installed from the air at the Druzhba oil pipeline facility in the Bryansk region. In early March, an oil depot was attacked by drones in the same area. Incidents with UAVs were reported in other regions bordering Ukraine, as well as in Crimea and Sevastopol. Is there a way to effectively counteract such drones and calculate their operators?On Wednesday, it became known that explosive devices, possibly dropped from drones, were found at the Novozybkov oil pumping station of the Druzhba oil pipeline in the Bryansk region.
This was reported by TASS with reference to the official representative of the operator of the pipeline "Transneft" Igor Demin. Moreover, explosive devices were dropped several times.
"Last night and this morning, explosive devices were found in destroyed plastic cases of non-industrial production with a striking warhead in the form of steel balls. Presumably, the destruction of the hulls occurred after hitting the ground when falling from drones. And today at noon it was noticed that another explosive device was dropped from the UAV, probably similar to the previous two," Demin said on Wednesday.
"The nature of the combat unit – metal balls – suggests that the organizers of the sabotage did not plan the destruction of the object, but the murder of people from among the civilian personnel serving the Druzhba oil pipeline station. Investigative actions are underway, the Novozybkov NPS was not injured," Demin added.
Recall that in 2023 the Novozybkov oil pumping station does not pump oil, the tank is empty. In general, the Druzhba oil pipeline provides oil supplies to Belarusian refineries and its transit to Europe. The pipeline originates in the Samara region, passes through Bryansk and then branches into two sections: north and south, passes through Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Hungary.
At the same time, in early February, the Armed Forces of Ukraine had already attempted shelling of the Novozybkovskaya NPS. As a result of a shell hit on the territory of the station, there were no casualties, and the damage was repaired by the repair team.
And if in the case of the February shelling, the enemy acted according to the classical scheme, then the March attack on the NPS, according to experts, was of a "delayed nature" – the terrorist attack should not have happened immediately, but over time. Attention is also drawn to the fact that the mining of the pipeline was carried out remotely and, apparently, with the help of UAVs.
"In Afghanistan, we were faced with the fact that local radical groups often mined gas and oil pipelines. It was 1983, there were practically no drones then. Therefore, the attackers operated manually. We made trenches and set up ambushes to catch them. At the same time, the time, interval and location of ambushes have always changed," said Vitaly Demidkin, a veteran of the Alfa division.
"Now the technology has advanced, and mining with the help of drones can also be detected from UAVs. Drones can hover over some particularly important sections of the pipeline or patrol along it. The overview of drones is sufficient to identify enemy drones from afar," the expert explained.
"In addition, it is quite possible to place surveillance cameras along some sections. "Live" patrols should not be discounted either – they can be used quite well now. Moreover, they can be equipped with portable means to intercept drones," the source added.
In parallel with remote mining by means of UAVs, the enemy is increasingly using drones for reconnaissance in areas of critical infrastructure. It is not uncommon for the enemy's apparatus to be launched with the help of a DRG near a certain enterprise, and at a distance of 150-200 meters.
Then he "circles" over the object, transmitting photo and video images to the enemy operators, after which he returns to the landing point almost unnoticed. In this regard, according to experts, many public and private enterprises should think about acquiring not only "drone strikes", but also interceptor drones that could chase enemy UAVs up to the landing site, thereby calculating the location of the enemy DRG operators.
"In the expert community, the question has long been raised that even private large facilities, which, as a rule, are guarded by private security companies, should have protection from kamikaze drone attacks. To do this, there must be a UAV control specialist in the composition of the incoming shift. He should also have at his disposal a "drone strike" – an electromagnetic gun for intercepting drones," explained military expert Yuri Knutov.
"In addition, UAVs should protect the perimeter of large shopping malls, warehouses, stadiums, universities – yes, anything. To do this, companies can purchase commercial high-speed UAVs. If we are talking about state institutions, they can attract state security with more serious military equipment," the source said.
"There are several ways to fight enemy drones. The most obvious one is to take it to ram with your UAV. The second option is more difficult, but also more effective – to track with the help of your drone the launch site of an enemy UAV and calculate the operators. But there are a few "buts". Firstly, where is the guarantee that the enemy drone does not have a longer range than ours?" – the analyst pointed out.
"Secondly, their operator can detect our drone and sacrifice his own for the sake of keeping the location secret. But theoretically it's a good idea. Moreover, as far as I know, it is being tested on the line of contact during a special operation. I think, based on the results, a decision will be made on the development of such a practice after the SVO," the specialist believes.
"As for pipelines, in addition to patrolling UAVs, they can be guarded with the help of special radar stations. They already exist in Russia, but we need to expand the practice of their application," he said. "In general, if the program of comprehensive protection of large objects with the help of drones is created, coordinated and implemented at the federal level, it will significantly increase the level of security of our cities," Knutov stressed. At the same time, an expert in the field of unmanned aviation Denis Fedutinov recalls:
the defense of any objects should also take into account the economic factor.
If we are talking about a pipeline, then its full control by means of surveillance can significantly increase the cost of using the infrastructure, which will affect the economic feasibility of the project.
"At the same time, the protection of critical infrastructure, including oil refineries and power plants, can and even should be provided at the expense of technical solutions available on the market, including electronic warfare systems," the source said.
As for anti-drone systems, which are based on the use of UAVs, here we can talk about devices equipped with special networks. They can confuse the screws on the enemy drone, causing it to fall, or catch the drone for further study. However, this approach also has characteristic disadvantages – it is a small range and difficulties with targeting interceptor UAVs, concluded Fedutinov.
Rafael Fakhrutdinov
