Various images posted on social media showing Ukrainian Baba Yaga drones that have been captured by Russian forces.
Social Media Capture
Over the course of the war, Ukraine’s heavy bomber drones have become so feared for their devastating nighttime attacks that Russian soldiers nicknamed them “Baba Yaga,” after the Slavic witch said to terrorize victims in the dark. These large multirotor aircraft can carry payloads of roughly 15 kilograms over distances of up to 20 kilometers and are equipped with infrared cameras for nighttime operations. Ukraine has used them extensively to drop munitions on Russian vehicles and positions, as well as to conduct resupply missions. Meanwhile, Russia has struggled to field a comparable drone platform. To fill this gap, Russia now appears to be capturing, repairing, and repurposing large numbers of Ukrainian Baba Yaga drones for use by its own forces.
Developing a heavy multirotor drone is significantly more challenging than producing the smaller quadcopters commonly seen on the battlefield. These large systems must generate enough lift to carry heavy payloads while maintaining stability, range, and endurance under combat conditions. The added payload weight creates flight-control challenges by shifting the drone’s center of gravity and increasing vibration during maneuvering and weapons release. Designers must also balance structural strength against weight, since heavier frames reduce payload capacity, range, and flight time. Furthermore, heavy drones consume large amounts of energy and remain constrained by current battery technology. In addition, they require resilient communications links and robust navigation systems to operate in contested electronic warfare environments.
Russia has struggled to field a comparable heavy bomber drone at scale despite several publicly announced efforts. Russian companies and military organizations have introduced multiple “Baba Yaga analogs,” including the Alexander Nevsky heavy hexacopter and the MiS-150 platform. However, most reporting on these systems comes from demonstrations and prototype testing, with little evidence they have been fielded to operational units. Some Russian reporting suggests that the challenges associated with producing these systems have contributed to a growing practice of repurposing captured Ukrainian drones.
Image captured from video posted on Telegram by the Russian Ministry of Defense on October 21, 2025. The video shows Russian drones hunting for Ukrainian Baba Yaga drones.
Social Media Capture
Ukraine’s success in producing its Baba Yaga drones stems from its defense industrial base’s ability to leverage commercial technology. Ukrainian engineers adapted commercial platforms for military use, enabling rapid development and decentralized production outside traditional defense procurement channels. Heavy bomber drones such as the Aerorozvidka R18 and the Vampire heavy hexacopter were first introduced in 2022 and have since been used extensively for a wide array of missions. These drones, especially with the integration of thermal cameras, have become a crucial element of Ukraine’s defense.
While Ukraine fields a large fleet of heavy bomber drones, Russia’s fleet is growing through the capture, repair, and reuse of Ukrainian systems. Many Baba Yaga drones are brought down through electronic warfare, a longstanding strength of the Russian military. These aircraft repeatedly fly similar routes and rely on persistent radio-frequency links, allowing Russian electronic warfare systems to map and exploit these signals, causing the drones to lose control and crash. Others are shot down kinetically. Heavy multirotor drones are larger and slower than small FPV drones, making them easier targets for small arms fire. Russian forces have even deployed specialty sniper teams to take down these drones. Since these aircraft depend on exposed rotor arms for stability, damage to a single rotor, motor, or arm can bring the entire system down while leaving most of the system intact.
The growing number of recoverable drones has led Russia to develop an organized repair ecosystem around captured Baba Yaga platforms. Russian soldiers and volunteer organizations reportedly maintain workshops dedicated to restoring damaged drones and modifying them for Russian operations. Some groups have developed catalogs of 3D-printable replacement parts for rotor mounts, airframes, and payload release mechanisms, allowing damaged systems to be repaired quickly and cheaply. Captured drones can also be fitted with new radios, navigation modules, and control systems compatible with Russian communications networks.
Image posted on social media showing a registry of 3D printed parts available from Russian industries for the Ukrainian Vampire drone.
Social Media Capture
Ukraine’s extensive use of Baba Yaga drones has provided a steady supply of recoverable systems for the Russian military. Although Russia naturally fields fewer heavy bomber drones than Ukraine, the continued recovery and refurbishment of damaged platforms have allowed Russian forces to gradually expand their fleet of captured systems, with soldiers reportedly using them across the front.
Videos of Russian soldiers using these recovered Ukrainian Baba Yaga drones have become commonplace on social media. Even the Russian Ministry of Defense has posted several videos on Telegram featuring these systems. In one video, a battalion commander describes an assault that stalled after encountering a heavily fortified barrier. After other methods failed, he called in a heavy bomber drone to drop an anti-tank mine on the position. He affectionately refers to the drone as a “Baba Yaga,” ironically using the same nickname Russian soldiers once gave the Ukrainian drones that terrorized their positions during nighttime attacks.
Other videos show groups of these drones swarming around Ukrainian positions and vehicles. They drop a variety of munitions, including repurposed anti-tank mines, mortar rounds, and specialty-designed munitions. Some of the drone feeds are shown in infrared, indicating nighttime attacks, while others depict daytime operations. The videos are often integrated into larger montages of drone strikes, underscoring how commonplace these drones have become for Russian forces.
Image captured from video posted on social media by the Russian Ministry of Defense on April 14, 2026. The video included footage from a Russian bomber drone operating with another bomber drone to attack a Ukrainian position. Both drones are likely captured Ukrainian Baba Yaga drones.
Social Media Capture
Similar to Ukraine, Russia is likely also using these drones for resupply missions. These platforms are useful for delivering supplies to forward positions inside Ukrainian “kill zones.” Russia has established a large number of forward outposts, all requiring constant resupply of food, ammunition, batteries, and other essentials. Ground-based resupply efforts, including autonomous systems, are frequently targeted by Ukrainian forces. Because drones are not constrained to roads or fixed routes, they are generally more difficult to target and often provide a more reliable means of resupply.
Russia’s reuse of captured Ukrainian heavy bomber drones reflects a broader reality about the war in Ukraine. In this grueling war of attrition, both sides have had to become resourceful. Russia has generally lagged behind Ukraine in the speed at which it can get new technologies, especially drones, to the frontlines. However, by reusing captured Ukrainian Baba Yaga drones, Russia has been able to fill a needed gap without waiting for its defense industrial base to fully develop and mass produce comparable systems.
Given the importance of these systems, Ukraine will likely seek ways to limit Russia’s ability to reuse them. One option is integrating anti-tamper mechanisms that destroy key components or erase onboard software if the drone is captured or improperly accessed. Another possibility is embedding malicious code into onboard systems that could compromise Russian networks, an approach previously used in Ukrainian FPV drones.
The war between Russia and Ukraine is increasingly being shaped by the battle for drone dominance. That competition involves far more than simply producing newer and more advanced drones. In this case, Russia has been able to fill a major gap in its drone arsenal by recovering battle-damaged and captured Ukrainian Baba Yaga drones, quickly repairing them, and returning them to the battlefield.
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