The Suspiľne Donbas portal was the first to draw attention to the frightening implications of modern combat operations using drones, referring to a post by a Ukrainian unit in early June. At that time, a photograph of an abandoned bird's nest in the hand of a Ukrainian soldier went viral around the world.
Although at first glance it looks like a normal bird's nest, of which there are countless in the wider Toretsk area, a closer look reveals that the nest is made up of leaves, moss, and grass stems, as well as optical fiber from a drone.
A ton of fibers
"Most attack FPV drones rely on radio communication with the operator, which can be their Achilles' heel. If they fly too low or get behind a hill, the connection can be interrupted," Forbes wrote the day after the story was published.
That is why some drones are connected to the operator via optical fiber. This is used in small, real-time operator-controlled FPV drones (used, for example, during Operation Spider Web), but not in large Shahed-type drones, which are launched from a ramp like rockets.
On the front lines of the Russian-Ukrainian war, many drones are destroyed before they reach their target — more than 70 percent of losses are attributed to electronic warfare (EW), i.e., various types of jammers that interrupt the connection between the drone and the operator.
However, jammers have no effect on FPV drones with optical fiber, and the operator can see the target thanks to the camera on the drone until it hits. FPV stands for "first person view."
A fiber optic drone is also invisible to drone detectors, as it does not need to transmit any signal to the operator. On the other hand, there have been a few videos showing a soldier accidentally coming across a lurking suicide drone on fiber optics, which was easily disabled by breaking or cutting the fiber. However, this is a rare occurrence.
The Russians began using optical fiber drones in combat in 2024, and the Ukrainians quickly caught up, realizing their advantage on the battlefield. As Forbes points out, the first drones were equipped with fibers only a few kilometers long, while the new types carry 40- to 50-kilometer fibers weighing less than four kilograms.
Since these drones cannot be defended against using EB, civilian and military infrastructure in combat zones and deeper in the rear are protected by anti-drone nets. These nets often catch not only drones, but also smaller animals such as birds, marmots, and hedgehogs. These animals suffer from anti-drone nets in much the same way as marine animals suffer from discarded fishing nets.
Nature does not discriminate
"A typical drone contains plastic and composite parts (covers, propellers, arms, reinforcements...), metal components, electronics, and usually a battery. From an environmental point of view, the main problem is when a drone crashes and remains on the ground," explains the Institute of Geography of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV) in a short statement for Štandard.
The main problem is the electronics and plastic parts of the drone. Plastic waste decomposes over time and can contribute to the formation of microplastics, while the battery and electronics can release metals and other hazardous substances into the environment when damaged.
"The decisive factor is therefore not so much the type of drone, but whether the device is found and properly disposed of after a crash," explains the Institute of Geography of the SAV. However, in the front line, as well as in the gray zone, it is often impossible to search for and remove drones that pose a threat to the environment but are mostly harmless from a military point of view.
But what about the kilometers of optical fiber that remain in nature regardless of whether and how the drone was destroyed?
"In this context, optical fiber means another plastic or glass material that can enter the environment in the event of an accident. Above all, however, it is a long and thin element that can pose a risk of entanglement for animals, similar to fishing lines or strings," explains the Institute of Geography of the Slovak Academy of Sciences.
Drones over Slovakia
As part of the construction of a European wall against drones, the question arose of how to arm this wall, i.e., how exactly to shoot down enemy drones.
The US Army has developed several laser weapons, and in August, Bullfrog anti-drone machine guns controlled by artificial intelligence were tested in non-combat conditions. However, their deployment on the old continent cannot be expected in the foreseeable future.
Suicide drones, for example, are also in play. In October, the Ukrainians demonstrated the effectiveness of drones against drones in Denmark, outlining the future of creating an anti-drone wall in Europe. However, after neutralizing an enemy drone, these drones themselves pose an environmental burden.
According to statements by Defense Minister Robert Kaliňák (Smer), Slovakia is building its own air defense (PVO) focused on drones. According to him, the anti-drone wall could include Slovak medium-caliber cannons that function as anti-drone effectors: 23- and 30-millimeter cannons.
The Slovak automatic cannon 2A42 or GTS-30, as well as the modernized ZU-23 M anti-aircraft twin cannon, which Slovakia intends to use against drones, are thus a much more economical solution for anti-drone air defense than disposable suicide drones.
However, drones have also been used outside the front lines for several years. According to the Geographical Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, one of many drone operators in Slovakia, drone operators are required to systematically search for crashed and damaged machines in the country. However, such searches are not possible in wartime conditions.
According to the Institute of Geography of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, it is necessary to physically search for and collect all parts of the drone and then treat them as standard electronic waste, i.e., hand them over to the collection system, including the battery, and not dispose of them in regular municipal waste.
"From our point of view, it is important to perceive drones as part of the broader category of electronic waste and to set up their operation so that every crashed or decommissioned machine is found, dismantled, and handed over to the appropriate collection system, not left in the environment," adds the Institute of Geography of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in its statement.
Whether in Slovakia, Ukraine, Russia, Poland, or anywhere else, the use of drones poses a real burden on the environment. Water bodies, arable land, protected areas, animals, and people can feel the impact of drone warfare regardless of who sent the drone and against whom. Looking at the Ukrainian steppe covered with optical fibers, it is impossible to determine whether they are Ukrainian or Russian fibers.
Štandard addressed the issue of mapping the impact of drones on the environment to the State Ecological Inspection of Ukraine (Державна екологічна інспекція України) and the Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resource Use (Росприроднадзор), but no response has been received even after a month.