Ukraine is catching up with Russia in the use of fiber optic cables for drones

Ukraine is catching up with Russia in using fiber optic cables for drones so they can fly deep into enemy territory.

The Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky told journalists about this on Saturday, June 21, a Babel correspondent reports.

He noted that the Russians have succeeded in producing fiber-optic drones and currently have an advantage in both quantity and range. There are examples of fiber-optic drones flying up to 40 kilometers.

"We are currently catching up in this process. We also have enough manufacturers that produce, for example, drones with a 20-kilometer fiber optic cable," he noted.

"We will do everything to preserve our infantryman. So that he can first control a drone, a robotic platform, and then walk on his own," the Commander-in-Chief added.

• In early April, it became known that for the first time in Ukraine, FPV drones were tested on fiber optics over a distance of over 20 km.
• In early 2025, Volodymyr Zelensky instructed the Ukrainian defense-industrial complex to produce at least 30 000 long-range drones and 3 000 cruise missiles and drone missiles per year.
• Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said that in 2024, 96.2% of all drones for the Defense Forces were Ukrainian drones.

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