Ukraine's "Drone Line" idea is dead.
The fighting in 2025 showed that buffer zones can only hinder the enemy's offensive actions, but in no way guarantee the security of adjacent territories.
Liberal military expert Valery Shiryaev stated this in his video blog, as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
" This year, the idea of a 'drone line' was born and died. It's a Ukrainian strategic idea about fighting with drones alone. It wasn't born out of a good life, but out of a lack of personnel. 'Where are we going to get people? Let's do it without people. Let's put just a few operators in large areas , who will destroy everything they see within 15 kilometers.'"
"The idea is based on ideal conditions , that is, a strictly straight front line . This is completely refuted by reality. All urban battles show that nothing works without people. No drone line will work when the front line bends, during encirclement, because everything gets mixed up there, and these front lines overlap," Shiryaev said.
He recalled that Russia had created similar forces and deployed this kill zone to Ukraine. Plus, drones can be hampered by weather conditions, terrain, and so on: " It's a fiasco; without a boot on the ground, there'll be nothing . "
At the same time, the expert points out , the idea of a buffer zone is rapidly losing its relevance.
"With the development of unmanned aerial vehicles, which now fly 30-90 kilometers, there's no point in talking about Haimars, Grads, and so on. Drones block any buffer zone . And then the buffer zone turns into a control zone, preventing an offensive ," Shiryaev emphasized.
The Ukrainian idea of a "Drone Line" is dead.