On a night with Ukraines drone warriors, the front line is far away but the fight is personal [Video]

The Ukrainian special-forces commander checks the line of seven explosive drones arrayed in a farmer’s field near the Russian border, making sure their targeting systems are properly set. Then he sprints for cover.

Moments later, there’s a cracking sound as the first launcher – which looks like a modernized version of a medieval trebuchet – fires a sleek black drone and its 15-kilogram payload north toward Russia, followed by the buzz of a jet propeller engine coming to life. The other six drones are launched in quick succession. “Bye-bye,” the commander, a veteran operative code-named Most, says with a laugh as the black silhouettes disappear one-by-one into the dark grey sky.

It was the first salvo in an hour-long attack by Most’s team, all members of Ukraine’sHUR military intelligence service. In total, 35 unmanned aerial vehicles – each sent on kamikaze one-way trips – were fired into Russia during a …