Ingenuity is king along the front lines and as such, we’ve seen a rapid adoption of new tactics, equipment and strategies. Some of these are pretty obvious, and some of them you didn’t see coming. In today’s wrap, we’ve got a few of those interesting things for you to read about.

The Molniya Drone

The Russian-designed Molniya is a cheap and cheerful drone that aims to carry a functional payload. With an estimated range of 40 km and the ability to carry a small payload (which reportedly includes an anti-tank mine), Molniya has caused headaches along the front lines.


While accurate reports regarding the influence of Electronic Warfare across the front can be difficult to find and assess, Telegram chatter confirms that Molniya can often be dealt with using EW strategies like jamming and redirection. With the latest Patriot systems costing millions of dollars per shot, this can only be a good thing.

Stepashka Drone Defense

Our next snippet discusses a simple anti-drone system. Known as Stepashka, this is a simple system that sports 10w transmitters and wideband functionality from 900mhz through to 5.8GHZ

There’s been a defined shift towards using cheap materials for both drown and defensive systems and the Stepashka is no different. Leveraging construction foam into its design makes it much cheaper and enables production en-mass.

Drone defence has been one of the most intriguing developments over the front lines over the past months and it’s reasonable to assume that both sides will continue to look for technology that helps to provide them with an edge.

Hands-On With Gerbera

It looks like there’s been another close look at the Russian Gerbera kamikaze drone. Based on the Iranian Shahed-136 design, the Gerbera was put into production within Russia and given several modifications to increase its utility and flexibility.


The Gerbera includes both foam and plywood into its overall design, no doubt to keep both cost and overall weight down wherever possible. It’s thought that more than a thousand units have been produced with their usage being prolific.

Shahed comes in much cheaper than typical Russian weapons systems like the KH-101 and 3M-54. This, paired with its low cost encouraged the development of new offensive counter-drone systems to deal with this issue.

Automotive Radar Modules

In these wrap-ups, we typically save the best bits for last and today is no different. This post was very interesting as it leverages something Ukraine is well known for, namely, the use of unconventional systems and components to solve existing problems at a reasonable cost.


The best example of this is the audio-based drone detection system we spoke of last year. Using active smartphones mounted to poles as a cheap, audio-based network helped solve an existing problem quickly.



The post is interesting for more than one reason though, as it also begins to break down some of the problem solving methods that were used to help achieve progress. It also references the fact that Russian forces are working with similar hardware in an attempt to confront existing issues with their own strategies.

Bosch radar units are already mass-produced for automotive purposes and being able to leverage them as a cheap, readily available sensor network makes perfect sense.

We’ve already seen significant defensive maneuvering strategies as recon and interceptor drones battle for the upper hand. Adding a cheap radar unit into the mix means that this is shaping up to be a semi-automated, battle of the drones scenario.


Have you got an interesting tip? Seen an intriguing Social Media post that you think needs some extra attention? We’re always looking for new stories that focus on current events and issues.

So, if you find something that you think is worth a story, send an email or find us on Twitter / X to send your story.
If you’d like to review the source channel on Telegram for today's material, you can do so by visiting this link.

If you’d like to support Ukrainian independence, visit the official United24 website

If you found this article insightful, informative, or entertaining, we kindly encourage you to show your support. Clapping for this article not only lets the author know that their work is appreciated but also helps boost its visibility to others who might benefit from it.

🌟 Enjoyed this article? Join the community! 🌟
📢 Join our OSINT Telegram channel for exclusive updates or
📢 Follow our crypto Telegram for the latest giveaways
🐦 Follow us on Twitter and
🟦 We’re now on Bluesky!
🔗 Articles we think you’ll like:

1. What The Tech?! Space Shuttles
2. Shodan: A Map of the Internet

✉️ Want more content like this? Sign up for email updates