Ukrainian Boy Disables Russian Fiber-Optic Drone

A soldier taught a 12-year-old how to disable fiber-optic drones that Russia has been using to target Ukrainian civilians. On a cool evening last month in Chernihiv, 12-year-old Anatolii Prokhorenko was cutting a damaged branch from a pear tree for a neighbor when he heard the buzz of a drone.

That sound often signals danger in Ukraine, not only for soldiers on the front lines. Civilians are increasingly tracked, chased and attacked by small, commercially available drones equipped with cameras, rigged with explosives and steered by operators a dozen miles away.

The boy acted on the training he had received and disabled the drone.

Russia has deployed fiber-optic guided drones that are harder to jam electronically than earlier models. These systems allow operators to maintain control even when electronic warfare systems are active. The drones have been used to pursue civilians in northern Ukraine.

Ukrainian forces and civilians have reported a rise in such incidents in recent months. Training programs have emerged to help residents recognize and counter the threat.