Ukraine's $1,000 drone smashing Putin’s $4.5million tanks

Added: 2026-05-12

[00:00:00]We saw the Windraer in action earlier and its value is in logistics. These are the unseen winners of the war. They solve the last mile delivery problem where Russian artillery makes road travel impossible.

[00:00:13]The Britishmade heavy lifter can carry a payload of more than 150 kg. It can stay in the air for 10 hours and has a massive 2,000 km range, enough to fly from London to Kev and back again. While smaller drones do the fighting, the wind racers are the workh horses. They fly autonomous logistics missions carrying fuel and spare parts and critical supplies to remote forward positions that are too dangerous for traditional lries. And remember John Healey's package of 120,000 drones, which includes these. It's a staggering number that shows the UK's commitment to swarming the battlefield with both small and large autonomous systems. When military personnel talk about military capability, we often start to talk about tanks and armored fighting vehicles and artillery and missiles and guns.

[00:01:05]But any military commander knows that it's the logistics that either win or lose the battle. These are a game changer.

[00:01:15]Next up is the Queen Hornet, a multi-roll 17in heavy hitter that's turned the Russian army's elite tanks into expensive scrap metal.

[00:01:27]Its primary benefit is filling the gap between small, cheap kamicazi drones and the massive, expensive Baba Yaga bombers.

[00:01:36]A single Queen Hornet cost about £1,000.

[00:01:39]Compare that to a Russian T90M tank which cost nearly4 million pounds. For the price of one tank, Ukraine can build 3,200 of these drones. Unlike oneway kamicazi drones, it is designed for 10 to 30 sorties. This makes it much more cost effective over its lifespan.

[00:01:59]It has a top speed of 99 mph, a range of 12 m, and can fly for up to 25 minutes, carrying a payload of nearly 10 kg over 5 km. This allows it to drop significant munitions like the large PG7V anti-tank rounds rather than just small grenades.

[00:02:20]A queen can act as a mother ship. It can be a bomber, a remote mine layer, a logistics transport carrying food and medical supplies, or a comm's relay.

[00:02:32]Hauling smaller FPV drones closer to the target, this extends the strike range of smaller drones by 70 to 80%. It has been successfully tested with recoil compensating weapons such as the Bull Spike AP or the RPG75 grenade launcher, allowing it to fire from a distance rather than just dropping bombs. It is the ultimate asymmetric weapon. Cheap, expendable, and capable of wiping out a multi-million pound target with one hit.

[00:03:05]Finally, we've seen the Wild Hornets Sting Interceptor drone physically knock Russian drones out of the sky. But Ukraine has another club in its golf club of drones. This is the anti-aircraft FPV drone, an alternative to the kinetic sting. Details are understandably murky on this drone, but as we can see in this footage of it, it hunts down enemy drones and engages them kinetically. Flying up to five kilometers in the sky, it reaches speeds of 87 miles per hour to hunt Russian drones. With a warhead weighing about half a kilogram, it's enough to take out most enemy drones. A key feature of the Sting and other Wild Hornet variants is its increasing use of AI assisted terminal guidance. Once the pilot identifies the target, like a Shahad or reconnaissance drone, and locks on, an onboard chip takes over. If the connection to the pilot is jammed in the final seconds, the drone uses its own computer vision to complete the intercept autonomously.

[00:04:06]Let's zoom out and take a look at the breakaway region of Transnistria.

[00:04:15]Transnistria to the east of Muldova butting up against the border with Ukraine, a Russian occupied region of Muldova.

[00:04:26]We've covered this unique zone in a previous episode when Ukraine began blockading the region on its border. But let's take a quick recap. For decades, Transnistria has been a frozen conflict, a strip of land held by Russianbacked forces and a thousand strong Kremlin hidden army. It's been a constant dagger pointed at Ukraine's flank. But now, Muldova's president, Maya Sandu, has just confirmed a significant change in strategy. Her plan is to reintegrate the region into Muldova. This is a major strategic win for the west that's happening right on Ukraine's border. How does it do this? Well, in a diplomatic chess move, the command structure has been declared persona by Muldova. The government in Christenu has designated the entire command of the Russian forces there as undesirable persons. This includes the commander Dmitri Zelenov and five of his top deputies including chief of staff Marat Yarolin. By branding them undesirable, Muldova has effectively trapped them. If they try to cross into Muldovan controlled territory, they will be arrested and deported for good. Even their families are now being denied access to Muldovven healthcare and official documents. On top of this, President Sandu says Muldova is now working with the EU to create an international mechanism to reintegrate the region. And notably, they're sidelining Russia entirely.

[00:05:55]Putin is crying blockade, but the truth is Keev has simply locked the back door.

[00:06:00]Ukraine has heavily mined the border and closed the checkpoints to stop Russian saboturs. And the economic squeeze is getting tighter. The region can no longer rely on Russian gas transiting through Ukraine, forcing the locals to look to Europe for survival. Without triggering direct confrontation, the Muldovans have trapped the highest ranking Russian officials in one place.

[00:06:24]As expected, the Kremlin is furious.

[00:06:28]They spent hundreds of millions of pounds trying to subvert Muldova's democracy with cyber attacks and fake news. Like a broken record, the threatening intervention claiming the 220,000 Russian citizens in the region are under a blockade. It's the same tired script Putin used before he invaded the Donbass. But here's the difference. Russia's hands are tied.

[00:06:51]With the bulk of the Russian army stuck in the Ukrainian mud, Moscow's ability to protect its peripheral interests is collapsing. Ukraine has effectively cut off the Russian garrison in Transnistria from any easy rotation or resupply.

[00:07:06]President Sandeu was clear. Ukraine is defending Muldova by keeping the Russian army far from their borders. By moving to kick out Russian peacekeepers and integrate with Europe. Muldova isn't just picking aside. They're closing a back door that Putin has used to destabilize Eastern Europe for 30 years.

[00:07:27]It's a quiet revolution, but for the Kremlin, it's a total strategic disaster. And speaking of disasters, it's worth mentioning another worrying signal for Putin. I mentioned earlier that the Russian army is facing defeat in Mali. For years, the Kremlin used the Vagner group to prop up the military juna there, but Vagner has quit. They've rebranded as the Africa Corps, and they're losing. On April the 25th, a massive rebel offensive was launched across the country. Tur rebels from the Azad Liberation Front, the FLA, have recaptured the key northern city of Kedal. The Russians and the Malian army didn't just retreat, they were forced out. Before they left, the Africa Corps set fire to their own military camp in Kedal to stop it falling into rebel hands. A convoy of Russian troops was seen fleeing towards Gow under a rebel escort. At the same time, jihadist groups have launched coordinated attacks in the south, even hitting targets near the capital, Bamako. The strategy here has backfired. Moscow moved to a more hands-off approach with the Africa Corps, keeping their men close to bases and relying on drones, but it left the Malian army isolated and vulnerable.

[00:08:41]Putin's attempt to project power in West Africa is hitting a wall. He's losing influence. He's losing men and he's losing control of the very minerals he's trying to exploit. For the Kremlin, Mali isn't just a bad headache. It's becoming a multi-layered catastrophe.