Exclusive:
Desperate Russian commanders order troops to build miles-long metal netting tunnels in a bid to beat Ukrainian drone attacks – as Moscow hits Chernobyl with a high explosive blast
Russian troops are building miles of “netting tunnels” in a desperate bid to protect themselves from Ukrainian drone attacks.
One of the anti-drone routes is a staggering two miles long and runs from the Bakhmut battleground to Chasiv Yar on the frontline. The huge metal netting cocoons supply vehicles and infantry soldiers as they patrol towards the battle and are emerging in east Ukraine. But sources told the Mirror Ukraine’s weapons experts are working round the clock to try and breach the new netting invention.
One Ukrainian source told the Mirror: “No matter what they try we always get round these new measures. And these so-called tunnels will become a focus for attacks, once they have been breached.” It comes as Ukraine-Russia drone warfare is claiming scores of lives daily and Moscow’s attacks are increasingly desperate. Overnight a high-explosive Russian drone hit the protective confinement shell of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Kyiv region.
So far radiation levels have not increased, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. But the strike damaged the structure and started a fire. The International Atomic Energy Agency said the strike occurred at 1.50am local time. The shell is a protective cover built around the fourth reactor of the plant, which exploded in 1986, causing one of the worst nuclear accidents in nuclear history.
Built in 2016, the shell is designed to limit the release of radioactivity left in the reactor to the atmosphere. It came two days after US President Donald Trump said he would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the war, sparking an international storm. Furious Zelensky claimed on Telegram that the Chernobyl strike showed that “Putin is certainly not preparing for negotiations”.
He added: “The only state in the world that can attack such facilities, occupy the territory of nuclear power plants, and conduct hostilities without any regard for the consequences is today’s Russia. And this is a terrorist threat to the entire world. Russia must be held accountable for what it is doing.”
Ukrainian electronic warfare specialist Serhii Beskrestnov says Russia is constructing nets spanning several miles to protect logistics. The nets also defend against fiber-optic-controlled drones, while smaller nets help block drone-dropped munitions and mines. Once Russian forces relied on electronic warfare (EW) posts to safeguard supply routes. However, as modern drones now operate across multiple frequencies and incorporate machine vision and fiber-optic control, EW countermeasures have become less effective.
A screenshot shared on Russian social media suggests such nets are being installed along the supply route from Bakhmut to Chasiv Yar. It is believed Russia will expand these “protective networks” if they prove effective.