Why drones can't replace Ukraine's reconnaissance soldiers

What does it take to be a Ukrainian reconnaissance soldier on today’s drone-dominated battlefield? In this report, the Kyiv Independent's Nick Allard and Asami Terajima travel to Kharkiv Oblast to meet reconnaissance soldiers from Ukraine's 60th Mechanized Brigade, part of the 3rd Army Corps, and witness the training required to perform one of the army's most dangerous roles. Deep in the forests of northeastern Ukraine, they train to gather intelligence, track Russian infiltration groups, clear enemy positions, and defend themselves against FPV drones. The soldiers share what it is like to operate within meters of Russian troops — and how a reconnaissance mission can quickly turn into a close-range firefight. As drones increasingly dominate the battlefield, their work shows why some of the most dangerous military tasks still require soldiers on the ground. 00:00 Intro 00:49 Training in Kharkiv Oblast 02:27 Support independent journalism in Ukraine 02:38 What drones can't see 03:48 Preparing for a mission 04:35 Hunting Russian infiltrators 08:32 When soldiers meet Russians 11:23 Simulating an FPV attack 13:58 The cost of reconnaissance 16:16 Outro Watch more of the Kyiv Independent’s reporting on soldiers fighting Russia’s war:    • Who has the upper hand in Ukraine’s evolvi...      • Ukrainian soldier on surviving 200 days in...      • Canadian female fighter at the forefront o...   We have more than 400,000 subscribers on this channel, and millions watch our videos every month. But less than 1% support our journalism financially. If you’ve been watching for a while, this is the moment to join us: https://kyivindependent.com/membershi... Subscribe to our channel for more independent reporting from Ukraine. MEET THE TEAM live & SUPPORT INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM Get your ticket for the evening of live journalism: https://kyivindependent.com/live/?utm... #UkrainianWar #FPVdrone #UkraineNews #DroneWarfare #KharkivOblast