- Ukraine has successfully taken out a feared Russian FPV drone operator, say reports.
- Operator "Moisey" and his team have been blamed for inflicting heavy casualties on Ukrainian forces.
Ukrainian defense forces have eliminated one of the most formidable Russian First-Person-View (FPV) drone operators, known by the call sign "Moisey" or "Moses," in the bitter fighting around the Dnipro River, Forbes reports.
Reports from various sources, including messages posted by Moisey's wife, confirm the successful operation against the feared drone ace.
FPV aces may be the fighter aces of this war, and Russia just lost one of their best https://t.co/pX0GLPMNBq
— David Hambling (@David_Hambling) January 19, 2024
Moisey, widely regarded as one of Russia's top FPV operators, is credited with causing a large number of casualties in addition to sinking numerous Ukrainian boats in the Dnipro.
His last communication, shared a few days ago, ominously stated, "It's hell in Krynky."
The Ukrainian defense forces, faced with persistent attacks on small boats supplying the Krynky bridgehead, carried out an elaborate plan to take out Moisey and his drone team.
A Ukrainian drone team, led by drone ace "Balu," successfully hunted down Moisey's team.
Ukrainian FPV ace "Balu" published footage of the strike that led to the destruction of the Russian FPV ace "Moisey". https://t.co/V0cnKY6UWb pic.twitter.com/lt68giAHJ0
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated) January 19, 2024
The strike, described as a "little present to Moisey," involved sending an explosive FPV through the building where Moisey operated, causing an explosion and subsequent fire.
"The enemy has been rejoicing since the morning that one of our most effective FPV operators, who accounted for more than 50 boats and almost 400 enemy soldiers and officers, was allegedly killed in Krynky," Roman Saponkov, a Russian military journalist, posted on Telegram in Russian, sharing screenshots of Balu's quips.
With Moisey eliminated, the pressure on the resupply efforts has been alleviated, providing a reprieve for the Ukrainian forces.
Indeed, Russia appears to be unable to counter Ukraine's drone attacks on the Dnipro River because of a shortage of electronic warfare capability in the area, the UK's Ministry of Defence said on January 12.
However, analysts warn that Moisey and his team are replaceable, and a new drone team could come to terrorize the supply route.
As drone warfare has become one of the key components of the Ukraine-Russia war, the operators have become some of the most valued soldiers and highly-prized targets of the opposing force.
This week, there were unconfirmed reports that Ukraine used US-supplied HIMARS to strike a group of Russian drone pilots who had assembled for training in the occupied part of the Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine.