Ukrainian Special Operators Train to Watch Sky While Clearing Trenches

Ukrainian special operators in the 4th Ranger Regiment of Ukraine's Special Operations Forces are training to keep watch on the sky while clearing trenches, Business Insider reported. The operator identified only by call sign Gur, who serves as second-in-command of a small unit, described the shift in tactics. "Our training has changed," Gur said.

Gur added that the unit constantly trains to infiltrate in small groups. Ukrainian drone pilots join the exercises so operators can practice spotting threats from above, engaging enemy drones, covering nearby soldiers, and seeking shelter. In live-fire drills the soldiers also use pump-action shotguns as a defense against first-person-view drones, including fiber-optic models that cannot be jammed.

The front line across southern and eastern Ukraine has become what soldiers and officials describe as a kill zone heavily saturated with drones. The zone typically stretches 10 to 20 kilometers from the line of contact, and Ukrainian officials have stated that it is expanding.

In a four-person trench-clearing group the soldiers move in pairs, with the first pointing a weapon toward the trench while the second scans the sky.

"You can do that with a standard rifle or with a pump-action shotgun," Gur said. When the pairs reach the trench the first duo calls the second pair forward. At least one soldier must always watch the sky.

"Someone always has to be watching the sky," Gur said.