The Ukrainian military invented many "chips" in the confrontation with Russia at the front - from installing rocket launchers on civilian pickup trucks to plastic drones armed with explosives. Journalists singled out nine such combat techniques. This is stated in the publication Business Insider.
Western countries have given Ukraine billions in military aid to support its war effort. But the Defense Forces also rely on their own agility and creativity on the battlefield, making improvised decisions to get the better of the Russian army.
Here are 9 ways Ukrainian soldiers are making the most of what they have to defeat Russian forces.
"Horrormobile"
One of these weapons is an improvised rocket salvo system, which the Ukrainians installed on the body of civilian pickup trucks. Thanks to its effective mobility and lethal power of rockets, the fighters aptly nicknamed this machine the "horror car".
The Ukrainians installed other weapons on the trucks. For example, one military unit in Kupyansk installed old USSR-era KS-19 anti-aircraft guns on civilian trucks to drive the deadly combat vehicle into and out of battle.
"At first, old guns appeared, which are not maneuverable and with which no one wants to work. I called a friend and said, let's get the money together and do it (buy the trucks)." - Ukrainian sergeant Yevhen Lytvyn said.
"I already fought on the front line. I already had a gun. I already understood its effectiveness, its safety, and that everything could be better and more convenient. I figured out that it was necessary to install a gun on a truck. Brought, repaired, installed," - said Sgt.
Neptune rockets
In April 2022, Ukraine demonstrated the power of its Neptune missiles by sinking the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the missile cruiser Moskva.
“With the Moskva, they created a very effective anti-ship system that they put on the back of a truck to make it mobile and moveable.” – said the ex-commander of the US forces in Europe, Lieutenant General Ben Godges.
The following year, Ukraine seems to have started using these missiles to attack occupied Crimea. Several expensive Russian S-400 air defense systems were destroyed there.
Sea Baby drones - "Sea Baby"
Although Ukraine does not have a proper navy, it was still able to disable almost a third of Russia's warships. Thus, the Ukrainian military used maritime drones "Sea Baby" to seriously damage Russian ships.
One such drone was captured on video on August 4, 2023, approaching the Russian amphibious assault ship Olenegorsky Gornyak, before losing communication after the detonation. Three months later, Ukrainian naval drones damaged two more Russian vessels.
In early 2024, Ukrainian special forces sank a small Russian warship, the Ivanovets, using six satellite-guided marine drones on jet skis.
Disposable strike drones
The UAF has also used improvised disposable attack drones made from inexpensive FPV drones capable of carrying explosives attached with cable ties and tape.
Relatively cheap Ukrainian drones don't necessarily equate to high-end munitions, but the humble drone can still strike using RPG warheads and plastic explosives. Thus, a drone costing a few hundred dollars can destroy a tank that costs millions. And drones can reach areas that other weapons cannot hit with precision.
Reuse of captured Russian tanks
Ukraine lacks the wartime industrial capacity of Russia and the supply of heavy weapons. Ukrainians relied on weapons provided by partners, but also used weapons captured from the enemy.
A lot of Russian equipment got to Ukraine, including main battle tanks. But such equipment often needs to be repaired before it can be used in battle. And Ukrainians do not always have access to spare parts.
There were reports that the Ukrainians called in Russian technical support when their captured equipment did not work properly.
Tank cages
Ukrainian fighters, like the Russians, also built improvised tank "cages" to protect armored vehicles from drone strikes. Although such improvised armor is usually not enough. Yes, in the video you can see how FPV drones penetrate through these protective structures.
A weapons tracking researcher said that the "cages" were "primarily designed to destroy Russian Lancets."
Unusual equipment of rockets
The Ukrainian military installs AGM-29 HARM missiles on MiG-88 fighters, designed to detect radar systems. These missiles are an unprecedented armament for Soviet-designed jet aircraft due to their Western origin and initial incompatibility.
As Godges said, the aircraft modifications demonstrated the technical and tactical savvy of the Ukrainian military.
“You can't just hang any missile on any aircraft – there's a lot of avionics and other aspects of flight and high-performance aircraft involved. And they did it," - said the general.
Franken weapons
To bolster its critical air defense capabilities, Ukrainian fighters have also integrated Western surface-to-air missiles and Soviet-era launchers under a program that US officials call FrankenSAM. The name is a reference to "Frankenstein" and an abbreviation for "surface-to-air missile".
The improvised air defense system was created in connection with the need to strengthen Ukraine's ability to protect the energy infrastructure and civilian population from Russian attacks during the winter.
The Ukrainian military uses US-provided AIM-9 air-to-air missiles, which can also be used as air-to-surface missiles.
"We fixed them. We found a way to launch them from the ground. This is a kind of self-made anti-aircraft defense." - shared an unnamed Ukrainian official
Baits
Ukraine also uses fake weapons to fool Russia. Dummy tanks have been used since World War I, and Ukraine continues to do so, using decoys to mislead the enemy. Russia does the same, although not always successfully.
Oman is becoming increasingly difficult due to the development of military technologies such as thermal imaging. They facilitate the detection of fakes, which leads to a kind of "decoy arms race".
Ukrainian forces reportedly deployed fake wooden HIMARS missile launchers to divert fire from real targets. Ukrainians also created home-made radar reflectors by repurposing old Russian oil barrels. They even created very realistic systems with moving parts.
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