War Archive

Unlike the stories we usually tell, today’s one takes place not in the 21st but in the 20th century. This is because its hero lived through a turbulent era for the entire region and, more importantly, left a lasting legacy that remains relevant to modern events. Today, we will uncover the story of Yaroslav Horoshko, the father of Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence Service (HUR) and Special Operations Forces. When most sources highlight negative tendencies within the Ukrainian military, these are often linked to the claim that Ukraine still retains many traits of the Soviet army. And while this is often true, for the new and independent state that Ukraine became in 1991, there was no choice but to rely on the Soviet legacy. To this day, in the form of equipment and knowledge, these remnants remain part of Ukraine’s military, which at the same time strives to adopt NATO doctrines and, in many cases, go further, redefining modern warfare with innovations such as drones. As we covered in our b

Over March 2024, both sides were mostly replenishing and preparing for the next phase of combat on the most active and complex frontline: Donbas. For Ukrainians, preparations were largely centered on stockpiling hundreds of thousands of drones. Russians, meanwhile, began amassing armor and huge numbers of men to replicate the tactic that allowed them to capture Avdiivka. There, initial armored assaults, usually ending in heavy losses, were followed by repeated attacks by small, echeloned infantry groups. The latter simply had to stretch Ukrainian defenders thin and overwhelm drone-crew capacity, allowing infiltration between positions and, from there, further advances. Since this tactic was used along the whole Donbas frontline with similar intensity, predicting where exactly infiltration would pay off was extremely hard. Today, with the benefit of hindsight, we know: it was the town of Ocheretyne.

Iran has built one of the most distinctive drone arsenals in the world, not by focusing on high-end technology but by producing cheap, scalable, and effective UAVs. From early reconnaissance drones developed during the Iran-Iraq War to today’s Shahed-131 and Shahed-136 loitering munitions, Iran has created a layered drone ecosystem that includes ISR platforms, reusable strike drones, experimental stealth UAVs, and long-range one-way attack drones used across multiple conflicts. In this video, we break down the structure, doctrine, and global impact of Iran’s drone program, including its use by proxies and partners from the Middle East to Ukraine. We also examine how mass drone production, export networks, and recent strikes on Iranian facilities could shape the future of this drone ecosystem and its role in modern warfare.

We spent a long time choosing an army that would serve as a strong starting point for a new series about NATO armies. After careful consideration, we decided to begin with Finland, a country that formally became an alliance member only in the spring of 2023, yet had never truly been novice in matters of national defense.

Russia has become one of the most important drone warfare innovators of the war in Ukraine. In this documentary, we examine the full ecosystem of Russian UAVs, from ISR platforms like the Orlan series and ZALA drones, to Lancet loitering munitions, Geran/Shahed long-range strike drones, and larger MALE systems like Orion and Forpost. Rather than focusing on improvised FPVs, this video looks at standardized, factory-produced drones and how Russia uses them in layered reconnaissance and strike networks. We also explore how these systems evolved through combat, how they interact with electronic warfare, and what their rise means for the future of modern conflict.