Low altitude airspace turns into a contested domain shaping frontline outcomes

For much of the war, the air just above the frontlines belonged almost entirely to whoever launched drones first, turning the sky into a constant, uncontested threat for soldiers below. That imbalance shaped how units moved, resupplied, and fought, often freezing entire sectors not through firepower, but through fear of detection. As drone numbers grew, it became clear that simply enduring aerial pressure was no longer sustainable. The struggle has therefore shifted from individual drone strikes to the question of who controls low-altitude airspace itself. Control of the sky, even just a few hundred meters above the ground, is now directly tied to freedom of maneuver on the battlefield. Ukraine’s response reflects a broader transition from reactive survival under drones to active contestation of the air above its troops.

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