Here Russian soldiers are preparing an FPV drone.Image: Russian Defense Ministry Press S / Uncredited
As Russia attacks Ukraine again with hundreds of drones, Kiev is countering the threat with technological ingenuity. Now there are the first images of a Ukrainian reconnaissance aircraft with built-in “Snich” technology.
January 18, 2026, 4:38 p.mJan 18, 2026, 4:49 p.m
Anna Von Stefenelli / watson.de
In the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the fight for technological superiority plays a central role, especially in the air. This involves attack and reconnaissance drones as well as systems for defense against enemy aircraft.
As the independent portal “Euromaidan Press” reports, a Ukrainian drone with a standard “Snich” evasion system has now been documented for the first time.
The system is intended to protect Ukrainian drones from Russian FPV “kamikaze” interceptor drones – i.e. from those aircraft that are aimed directly at enemy drones and are intended to ram or explode them.
“Snich” helps to quickly detect Russian drone attacks
A photo that according to «Euromaidan» the channel Potuzhnyi Informator published shows a downed Ukrainian Leleka-100 reconnaissance drone. You can see it: a standard component of the new “Snich” evasion system.
Experts from «Defense Express» analyzed the image material and therefore confirmed that the visible camera unit is a central element of this system.
A downed Ukrainian Leleka-100 drone with the Snich evasion system somewhere on the front. The camera is mounted on the upper hemisphere like the Russian Z-16, Militarnyi reports. pic.twitter.com/q6rvkzSX19
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“Snich” is intended to help detect impending attacks early and automatically initiate evasive maneuvers. However, according to the experts, it cannot be said with certainty whether the system was actually activated in this specific case or whether it influenced the fate of the drone.
Symmetrical armament: Russia also uses similar technology
In fact, Russia began equipping its own drones with comparable protection systems as early as 2024. Now Ukraine is reacting by rolling out the “Snich” system, which is now apparently being actively used.
According to “Euromaidan Press”, the first information about “Snich” appeared in September 2025. The technology is part of the ongoing arms race in drone warfare.
Drone technology race with enormous military importance
Reconnaissance drones like the Leleka-100 are a crucial part of Ukraine’s defense strategy. They provide coordinates for artillery, control attack drones and provide an overview of the terrain.
The threat posed by Russian FPV interceptor drones, which are used specifically to “blind” Ukrainian units, is all the greater.
Ukraine: More than 1,300 drone attacks in just one week
Current developments in war show how necessary such technologies are. In the past few days alone, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky, over 1,300 attack drones, more than 1,000 glide bombs and 29 rockets were fired at Ukrainian areas. The attacks affected the Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Odessa and Zaporizhia regions.
“That’s why Ukraine needs even more protection – especially more missiles for air defense systems,” said Zelensky.
At the same time, Russia reports that Ukrainian drone attacks have led to widespread power outages in occupied areas such as Zaporizhzhia. These escalations underscore how central drone technology has become for both sides.