Russian fiber optic FPV drone reaches Kharkiv for 1st time since start of full-scale invasion, prosecutor's office says
Ukraine has detected a Russian FPV (first-person-view) drone that managed to reach Kharkiv via a fiber-optic cable — the first such instance since the start of the full-scale invasion, the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office said on Feb. 25.
Fiber-optic drones, which are not affected by electronic warfare, were first deployed on the Ukrainian battlefield in 2024. Their use expanded significantly on both the Russian and Ukrainian sides the following year.
FPV drones, which normally fly up to 10-20 kilometers (6-12 miles), can extend their range by tens of kilometers when linked to fiber-optic cables. Kharkiv, home to roughly 1.3 million people, lies just over 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the Russian-occupied territories.
The drone hit a tree around 3 p.m. local time in Kyivskyi district on Feb. 25, the regional prosecutor's office said. No casualties were reported.
The regional prosecutor's office has launched a pre-trial investigation into the drone attack on Kharkiv.
Countermeasures against fiber-optic drones remain limited, relying mostly on physical destruction or obstruction. In cities such as Zaporizhzhia and Kherson in the country's southeast and south, anti-drone netting has been installed above certain streets and key transport routes to protect vehicles and critical infrastructure from aerial attacks.
Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, located roughly 30km (18.6 miles) from the Russian border, has been a frequent target of Russian missiles and drone attacks throughout the full-scale invasion.
