Baba Yaga drones: the new nightmare for Russian frontlines as Ukraine innovates remote mining tactics
The Ukrainian Forces are utilizing "Baba Yaga" drones for remote mining, said Dmitry Rogozin, the former head of Roscosmos and a Russian military "adviser," on his Telegram channel.
Rogozin claims that Ukrainian forces use heavy "Baba Yaga" multi-copters, presumably, to mine front-line roads exclusively during nighttime. According to the propagandist, this could indicate preparations for offensive operations.
It should be noted that there is no officially acknowledged UAV named "Baba Yaga" in Ukraine. The name is used by Russians to describe a whole class of Ukrainian drone bombers, which vary in characteristics, munitions, and even manufacturers.
Russian Telegram channels reported as early as April that Ukrainian drones, allegedly "Baba Yaga" types, drop anti-tank mines. Russians also published footage showing unexploded round-shaped munitions. According to them, these are TM-62M and TM-62P3 mines. [
Russian experts believe that the detonation occurs through ignition: the electric ignition was expected to trigger the mechanism based on the speed and altitude of the drop. Consequently, some mines detonated not upon impact but a few seconds later. The video shows Russians preparing to remotely detonate an unexploded mine.
Russian war bloggers also reported new "Baba Yaga" drones carrying larger mines and equipped with tubes for precise dropping. As "proof," Russians unveiled a photo of a drone painted in an unusual white color for "Baba Yaga" UAVs.
On June 10, Russia claimed that Ukrainian Forces started using armoured "Baba Yaga" drones, which now operate not only during the day but also at night.
Earlier, on April 23, Dmitry Rogozin also stated that Ukrainian troops employed enhanced "Baba Yaga" UAVs in the Zaporizhzhia region, which fly silently and attack Russian forces from the rear.