As the sun set over a field of tall yellow sunflowers, a moped-like growl suddenly disturbed the evening calm. The noise rose, dipped, and rose again. Lt Col Ray, a Ukrainian commander with the 414th aviation brigade, took cover in a leafy ditch. Seconds later, a Ukrainian drone roared into a mauve sky. It jerked upwards at a 45-degree angle, orange flames fizzing, and then motored serenely onwards. The flying object resembled a sleek grey biplane with a wooden propeller and tail. It left behind clouds of billowing black smoke and a whiff of gunpowder.

Four and a half years after Vladimir Putin sent tanks to seize Kyiv, the war in Ukraine has moved from the earth to the sky, turning into a battle of drones. This contest – unprecedented in the history of warfare – features technology, innovation and rapid development.

"We are making history here. This is where democracy beats totalitarianism. It's like George Orwell. But this time Big Brother loses, " Ray said, as the drone vanished over the horizon, engine thrumming. Its destination was Crimea, a scenic Ukrainian peninsula of beaches and white chalk mountains, stolen by Russia in 2014 and militarized thereafter.

Next, two more long-range drones hurtled forward. They soared into the twilight, above a darkening sky.

Sursă consultată: ‘This is where democracy beats totalitarianism’: Ukraine’s drone strike force takes the fight to Russia — https://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-interactive/2026/aug/02/this-is-where-democracy-beats-totalitarianism-ukraines-drone-strike-force-takes-the-fight-to-russia