Ukrainian drone forces now have a new method to "monitor drones that are monitoring them." A Kiev-based equipment startup, CODE380, has recently attracted attention with its pocket-sized receiver, the D·Vision SDR, which can receive real-time video from many Russian military drones and display the images on a screen.
These drones transmit video through the air, and since it is not encrypted, anyone with a suitable receiver can watch it simultaneously. As a result, Ukrainian forces are able to see where the drone is heading and what the operator is aiming at before it makes impact.
According to Defense News, this device is very lightweight, weighing about 10 ounces, which is less than half the weight of competing models in Ukraine; one of the competing products weighs several pounds.
It can also monitor the radio channels of Russia's newer Molniya drones, which have been used for video transmission since June. A radio expert and advisor to the Ukrainian President, Serhii, stated in a post on Facebook in June that, as quoted by Defense News, "Most detectors cannot see these frequencies, or they see them very poorly." He warned that over-reliance on detectors can be fatal.
Beskrestnov also warned that digital video may one day replace analog video, which could render such receivers obsolete. The New York Times reported in August that some Molniya drones are guided by artificial intelligence, use Nvidia chips, and do not emit any signals at all.











