A Russian operation employing a dual-drone tactic reportedly exposed and struck hidden Ukrainian air defense positions, according to a Ukrainian official.
Defense Technology Advisor Serhii Beskrestnov said the scheme began with a surveillance drone mapping initial positions and tracking both stationary assets and mobile ground crews.
Once sufficient data had been gathered, Russian forces carried out a coordinated strike: a decoy drone first drew Ukrainian troops out of cover, while a second attack system moved in to hit the exposed position.
The operation is said to have involved a Gerbera system, a multi-role platform capable of one-way attack and reconnaissance missions, alongside Russia’s Geran-2 drone.
Both systems are widely regarded as Russian adaptations of the Iranian Shahed loitering munition, a delta-wing design that has seen extensive use in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Response Measures
The incident prompted Beskrestnov to call for more mobile air defense tactics, urging units to avoid staying static and to improve camouflage and concealment practices.
He also suggested a layered approach in which one operator engages incoming targets while others monitor for additional drone threats, improving overall situational awareness.
“I ask everyone involved in air defense not to wait for orders from the command, but to analyze the situation and think,” Berkrestnov noted on social media.
