Recent video from the Ukraine frontline shows a Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) dropping a homemade incendiary device onto a building occupied by Russian forces. The improvised bomb consists of an aircraft flare surrounded by four bottles of gasoline, creating a highly effective incendiary weapon that ignited intense flames upon impact.

Ukraine's extensive use of asymmetrical tactics, and innovative equipment such as sea drones, gives the country an effective edge against its foe.

Offensive drones have had a brief window of domination. But it was only a matter of time before effective counter-drone capabilities emerged.

Ukraine’s once-formidable advantage in drone warfare appears to be eroding along parts of the front line. This degradation extends far beyond the immediate front—more Russian drones now prowl for targets up to 25 kilometers (roughly 16 miles) behind the contact line, and they have been hitting their targets more effectively.

By contrast, shorter-range U.S. drones such as the Switchblade 600 are estimated to cost more than $100,000 per unit, and longer-range U.S. drones can cost millions. Ukrainian drone operators report that U.S.-made drones have been less effective, reliable, and rapidly adaptable to Russian countermeasures than those produced inside Ukraine.

In a forest in the Kyiv region, 35-year-old engineer Andriy Tchornim takes shelter under the trunk of a navy blue 4x4. Eyes locked on the screen of his joystick, he pays no attention to the torrential rain lashing his face in heavy gusts.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday submitted a new bill that would restore the independence of Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies in an effort to defuse tensions following his approval earlier this week of a controversial law that weakened their autonomy.