Russian forces launch nearly 100 UAVs on Ukraine overnight, Ukrainian air defences destroy them in 11 oblasts

The enemy continues to increase its capabilities in the use of drone control technologies via fiber optics, so it is extremely necessary to level its advantages,

Lieutenant Colonel Yevgeny Tkachenko said, in remarks published by Kyiv's government

Typically, fiber optics are used on FPV multirotors for kamikaze missions,

said the Iron Cluster experts

The Russians were the first to deploy fiber-optic drones in this war and, as of early 2025, are widely using this solution across various sections of the front line,

said the Iron Cluster experts

We can cram much more data down a connection" through fiber optics, which is vital on a battlefield

Wright said

The enemy has covered the attack area with electronic warfare, so many drones are useless,

another Russian blogger said

We are not usually aware of it, but we actually use fiber optics almost every day,

U.K.-based drone expert Steve Wright told Newsweek

Introducing fiber optics is not a fundamental game-changer, but it is certainly another incremental step 'forward' in the brutal, never-ending, struggle for survival on the battlefield,

added Wright

This reduces the drone's capacity to carry explosives, thereby diminishing its potential to strike targets effectively,

the experts said

Drones armed with shotguns have proven remarkably effective in combating enemy drones, including those operating via fibre optics,

reported Focus Ukraine

Andriy Tsaplienkojournalist

The Ukrainian drone shoots down three Russian Mavics with a shotgun, then shoots at the invader with the same shotgun and finishes him off with a grenade."

Ukrainian military journalist Andriy Tsaplienko said

Winchester drones can shoot down other drones mid-flight using buckshot. The development is already being used by Ukrainian defenders,

the report added

Ukraine successfully attacked the Russian Naval port in Novorossiysk, Russia. The White House had forbidden Ukraine from attacking the port... Seems now that the White House cannot defend Russia, all bets are off."

Pro-Ukrainian X user Jason Jay Smart posted

Air defense forces intercepted and destroyed 85 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles overnight."

Russia's Defense Ministry said

The SBU, together with the Ukrainian Navy, hit a crucial target – a depot containing reconnaissance drones used [in] enemy strikes on Ukrainian cities and the front lines,

said an informed source

Three (people) had cuts from fragments of broken windows, another four complained of high blood pressure,

he said