Bird's nest with optical cables from combat drones

Have you ever seen a bird's nest made with optical cables from combat drones? This sad sight was discovered in the Donbas region of Ukraine, which has seen fierce fighting since 2014.

The image was published on X by Olena Tregub, co-founder of the Independent Defense Committee Against Corruption, who attributed the photo to researcher Oleh Malchenko. According to the post, a Russian bomb felled a tree in Donbass and the nest emerged from among the broken branches.

See more articles from iGuRu.gr when you search for news on Google.

iGuRu.gr preferred source

The small structure appears to be made of grass and thin strands of fiber optics, the kind increasingly left behind by drones on both sides of the war. It shows how modern battlefields are littered not with shell fragments and burned-out vehicles, but with cheap, mass-produced weapons wiring.

Unlike remote-controlled FPV drones, optical drones have a physical cable behind them, giving operators a connection that can’t be blocked by traditional electronic warfare. The obvious downside is that each flight can leave miles of nearly invisible plastic thread in fields, roads, forests, and trenches.

Some spools used by these drones can extend up to 65 km, while previous systems had a range of about 42 km.

As far as birds are concerned, the material is just another nesting material. It is light, flexible, durable and probably provides some insulation. Wildlife seems to be reusing the waste of war, a difficult picture that is unfortunately a reality.

Researchers have already warned that fiber optic cables could become a long-term environmental problem in Ukraine.

The British Ornithologists' Union has written that the polymer optical fibers used in drones could pose risks to birds, bats and ground-dwelling mammals, as they will break down into microplastics over time.

giorgos

George is still wondering what he is doing here….