Budget drones prove their value

A Ukrainian soldier releasing a drone that will fly over Russian-occupied territory. — ©️2023 The New York Times Company

THEY are made of plastic or plastic foam, weigh only a few kilos and are often launched simply by having a soldier throw them into the air, as if tossing a javelin.

In a slow-moving counteroffensive against Russian forces that has been reliant at times on the smallest advantages, a fleet of cheap, mostly off-the-shelf drones is providing one for the Ukrainians.