Ukrainian soldiers launching a drone
Ukrainian soldiers launching a drone at Russian positions near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, December 15, 2022.
  • Tanks and troops out in the open can now be spotted in five minutes, a Ukrainian official said.
  • Vadym Skibitsky told The Wall Street Journal that they can be hit in a further three minutes.
  • "The survivability on the move is no more than 10 minutes," he said.

The sheer number of drones operating in Ukraine, as well as battle-management systems that provide real-time imaging and locations, mean that troops and tanks out in the open have just minutes before they are targeted, a top Ukrainian military official told The Wall Street Journal.