"One operator with a drone does the work of an entire patrol". ORION unit created a robotic kill zone that the Russians fear
The Ukrainian ORION unit of the State Border Guard Service developed a «death strip» near Kupyansk in two months using reconnaissance UAVs, FPV drones, and IRCs.
The Ukrainian ORION unit of the State Border Guard Service developed a «death strip» near Kupyansk in two months using reconnaissance UAVs, FPV drones, and IRCs.
ORION says that Russian infantry avoid entering these kill zones, and equipment cannot get closer than 25 km. According to the unit, 88% of the enemy is destroyed before reaching the position. The remaining 12% are isolated attempts to pass through difficult weather conditions or massive raids.
In May 2025, the unit began operating in the Kupyansk direction in the Kharkiv region. At that time, the occupiers used the «gray zone» for approaches and accumulation, and control of the space remained fragmented.
«We understood that the problem was not the number of people or equipment. We had to take away the enemy’s very ability to move and gain a foothold,» said unit officer Vladislav Zolotaryov.
The solution was a fully robotic kill zone. In just two months, ORION created a 24-hour, continuous control system; about one kilometer for enemy infantry and more than 20–25 km for equipment.
The ORION kill zone is built on a combination of aerial and ground-based unmanned aerial vehicles: reconnaissance drones such as the Leleka, Mavic, FPV drones, and NRC, which allows for control of the area without the constant presence of people in positions.
Photo: «ORION»«The possibilities of analyzing the situation back then were severely limited by the human factor — fatigue, weather, visibility. Today, the work of an entire patrol is performed by one operator with a drone: he remotely detects the target, transmits the coordinates, and ensures the destruction without direct contact,» Zolotaryov noted.
A separate line has been created for enemy infantry — about one kilometer, where it is impossible to take up positions or wait. In a typical scenario, up to five FPV drones operate on one target. There have been cases where up to 12 drones operated simultaneously on one infantryman.
One of the captured Russians, with the call sign «Begunok,» said that his groups were destroyed three times in the «death strip,» in which the occupiers walked dozens of kilometers carrying ammunition and provisions.
During the third attempt, he was left without weapons, without a radio, and without food, completely burned after a forest fire. Then «Bihunok» decided to surrender. He showed the Ukrainian drone camera that he was surrendering. Mavic accompanied him to the positions of the Ukrainian infantry.
The unit emphasizes that the kill zone already allows minimizing human participation in the most dangerous areas of combat — in the air and on the ground. In the future, ORION aims to use ground robotic complexes not only for humanitarian tasks, but also as a full-fledged element of the combat system.
«Technically, this is already possible, but scaling up requires resources, so we plan to purchase and develop NRCs to expand their application beyond evacuation and logistics missions,» explained Vladislav Zolotarev.
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Text: Олександр Кузьменко Photo: ОРІОН Tags: drones, ukraine, warFound an error in the text? Highlight it and press Ctrl+Enter. Found an error in the text? Highlight it and press the 'Report an error' button.
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