drones at the heart of the conflict

Gutted apartment buildings and ruins. The city center of Kramatorsk, a city in eastern Ukraine near Bakhmout, was targeted on Tuesday March 14. At least one dead and dozens of civilians injured after a bombardment and a Russian drone attack, while the Kiev region was spared this time.

The Smak Unit

Since the beginning of the war, a special unit, baptized Smak, is in charge of protecting the capital from any attack coming from the sky. It is made up of a few Ukrainian soldiers. At the slightest warning, they aim their machine guns at flying targets. “We are the last line of defence. We fire on drones that have managed to cross the front line and have flown over a good part of Ukraine”, details Mykola, deputy commander of the Smak unit. Men always on the lookout and very skilful. Despite the derisory means, the targets are often reached.