Exposed and on the Run: The Desperate Flight of Russian Soldiers
Russia-Ukraine War: The Rise of Drones as a New Weapon
Host: Anchor Jaehee Yoon
Appearance: Yang Wook, Research Fellow, Asan Institute for Policy Studies
In the Russia-Ukraine war, drones have emerged as a new weapon, and Ukraine used drones that pour molten metal. This is forbidden to use in the private sector under international law.
The Effectiveness of Drones in the War in Ukraine
Yang Wook: The effectiveness of drones has been revealed in the war in Ukraine. I described it as molten iron, but basically they use things like that to block movement. There are types of such drones, but in reality, most of them are expendable and are used as ammunition.
Yang Wook: Ukraine produces up to 20,000 drones a month and consumes almost 10,000 of them. Because bombs are combined and used as missiles and artillery shells, 10,000 bombs are used every month. So the attitude to war changed a lot.
The Changing Face of War
Yang Wook: The use of Ukrainian drones was very original in the first place in some ways. Before, we usually called drones, which were extremely large and precise weapons made for military use. But necessity is always the mother of invention, and civilian drones were so urgent. We improvised it and used it for reconnaissance. Even improvised explosive devices there. Attacks with grenades, mortar shells, or even ordinary artillery shells became common, completely changing the face of war.
The Fear of Drones on the Battlefield
Anchor: It is said that as the fear of drones spreads on the battlefield, the number of soldiers leaving also increases.
Yang Wook: Maybe some of you have seen the video on YouTube or something like that, but in the video about the horrors of the war in Ukraine, you can only hear the sound of the drone and nothing else. That means, even if you’re hiding under cover, even if you’re hiding in a ditch, a drone can fly overhead and explode above your head. I can tell you that the fear that comes with such things is significant.
The Future of Drones in Warfare
Yang Wook: Drones are no longer something super advanced and can only be used by higher level units, but are now changing to such equipment that can be used by frontline infantry units, small units, and even the squad level. I can tell you that we have entered an age where drones are operated like infantry squads have machine guns.