The skies above eastern Ukraine have become a death zone for Russian forces as Ukrainian drone operators execute a relentless string of strikes from Donetsk to Lysychansk. Over the course of several days in mid-May 2025, footage released by Ukraine’s armed forces and police units reveals how first-person view (FPV) drones have transformed modern warfare — and turned Russian armoured vehicles into scrap metal.
On 18 May, Ukrainian reconnaissance drones detected two Russian armoured vehicles moving toward the Donetsk region in an apparent attempt to launch a fresh offensive. With no time to lay mines, a unit from Ukraine’s assault UAV brigade, nicknamed the “Worm Busters”, was tasked with neutralising the threat. Armed with FPV kamikaze drones, they launched a series of swift and accurate strikes. Initial hits caused limited damage, but Ukrainian operators pressed on. The repeated drone attacks eventually obliterated one of the vehicles, its turret launched skyward as internal ammunition detonated. A nearby Russian tank, spotted shortly after, suffered the same fate as FPV drones picked it apart piece by piece. The cost to Ukraine: a handful of drones. The cost to Russia: two armoured vehicles worth tens of thousands of pounds.
The message from Ukraine’s defenders was clear — no tank is safe. No bunker too deep.
On 19 May, the Ukrainian police’s Rage Brigade released video of an armoured assault on a Russian position near Tets, in the Donetsk region. Their aim: to disrupt Russian activity and deny freedom of movement. During the firefight, Ukrainian troops also laid a TM62 anti tank mine — a further warning to Russian invaders. The Russians were forced into retreat.
The day before, Ukraine’s 68th Mechanised Brigade struck a heavily camouflaged Russian bunker hidden in dense forest. Drone footage captured the moment a timed bomb exploded at the entrance, followed by a second bomb that rendered the entire structure useless. Russian infantry attempting to flee were quickly intercepted. Reconnaissance drones then scanned nearby abandoned buildings, used by Russian forces for cover and movement, and targeted them in turn. The result: total destruction. No shelter remains untouched.
Ukrainian air power also played its part. On 19 May, an airstrike destroyed a Russian command post and ammunition depot in the city of Lysychansk, Luhansk region. The attack, reportedly worth millions of hryvnias (over £240,000), was a strategic blow to the Kremlin’s ability to coordinate frontline operations and further exposed the vulnerability of Russian air defences.
In one sequence from 16 May, Ukrainian kamikaze drones struck two Russian vehicles travelling on a dusty road. The first drone immobilised the rear vehicle; a second blew it apart. The lead vehicle attempted to flee but was swiftly marked and struck by another drone. Successive hits left it in ruins.
Throughout mid-May, Ukraine’s drone forces dismantled every Russian attempt to gain ground. Hidden Russian troops inside an abandoned structure were spotted by surveillance drones and neutralised in a two-strike FPV drone operation. By 15 May, Ukrainian intelligence concluded that the sharp reduction in Russian vehicle attacks was due to Moscow’s dwindling armour reserves. With so many Russian vehicles destroyed, the invaders have turned to infantry on foot — only to find themselves hunted by drones guided by real-time reconnaissance.
The latest footage shows trenches, forests, and buildings turning into war graves.
