Ukrainian Paratroopers Go ‘Fishing’ for Russian Drones

Ukraine’s 46th Airmobile Podilsk Brigade is using drones equipped with a fishing rod and weighted cord to intercept Russian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).

Footage posted by the brigade on Sunday showed the Ukrainian drone approaching the target from above, causing the Russian drone’s propellers to become entangled in or damaged by the cord. The video captured the system successfully intercepting one fixed-wing drone and one quadcopter.

Impressive efficiency at minimal cost!
Ukrainian FPV drones equipped with a stick and a rope loop are knocking 6 ruSSian drones out of the sky on the Pokrovsk direction.
Footage from the 46th Separate Airmobile Brigade of the Air Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/EZj36ihFq9

— 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝕯𝔢𝔞𝔡 𝕯𝔦𝔰𝔱𝔯𝔦𝔠𝔱△ 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇺🇲🇬🇷 (@TheDeadDistrict) December 22, 2025

The brigade captioned the post: “A new way of capturing enemy drones in the air.”

The fishing rod–style device highlights how the war is pushing militaries to physically counter drones as electronic warfare systems evolve. With fiber-optic drones largely immune to jamming, interception has become more challenging.

Ukraine and Russia have both been seen using nets to intercept drones.

❗️The work of 🇺🇦Ukrainian drones from Ptashka Systems, intercepting 🇷🇺Russian copters with the help of a shooting net. pic.twitter.com/shJDToCcRe

— 🪖MilitaryNewsUA🇺🇦 (@front_ukrainian) June 9, 2025