A DRONE DEAL

A DRONE rises into a cloudy sky with its tiny propellers whining on a mission to destroy a Russian army target

- JEFF FARRELL

Ukrainian soldier Tapk peers up at the black Mavic 3 Pro as it flies east towards Moscow's frontline, just over 500m away.

The goal is to zoom over a building where Tapk says the Russian army has parked tanks. There are also military vehicles used to transport troops and weapons along the frontline.

It comes amid fierce fighting here around the city of Kupiansk in Ukraine's north eastern state of Kharkiv.

Moscow aims to seize the area and link up with already occupied turf to the southeast in the Donbas region.

Ukraine is struggling to hold the line in Kupiansk, soldiers say, but Kyiv is gearing up for a counter-offensive.

The Irish Mirror embedded with the Freikorps brigade in the area and watched how the unit caused havoc for the enemy.

It is just after 6am and we are standing in long grass outside a derelict building as explosions from distant shelling boom.

HYBRID

Both Kyiv and Moscow have also harnessed tech in this hybrid war and wage attacks with drones.

"Get inside, fast," Tapk shouts, looking up at a sky that hangs over dull green fields. "There are Russian drones patrolling.

"Two or three enemies," fellow drone pilot David roars.

We scurry down stairs into a basement in the derelict house, pushing through a damp brown rug that serves as a door.

Tapk and fellow Freikorps drone unit pilot David sit in the gloom as a mobile power generator hums outside.

In the corner stands a bulky grey device, a blue light shining from a console.

It is Elon Musk's Starlink that allows the Ukrainian army to enjoy secure comms free from the enemy listening in.