The Terror of Being Hunted by a Buzzing Drone

Drone warfare in Ukraine is adding a new set of horrors to the already manifold dangers of the front. According to a team of American medical specialists who recently returned from a visit to Ukraine, the precision maneuvering of FPV (first-person view) drones is unleashing unprecedented psychological and neurological harm—as well as physical injury—on soldiers.

“Our visit was an unfortunate way of learning so much about the unique psychological and physical impacts of an emerging era in drone warfare," reports Dr. Ronald Hirschberg, an expert in neurological rehabilitation at Harvard. "While missiles have historically been able to seek out targets, drones represent a new level of precision and psychological warfare, capable of maneuvering remotely to track and kill specific soldiers.”

Hirschberg was visiting Ukraine as a representative of HomeBase, a veterans and family care organization that originated as a charitable effort by Harvard's Massachusetts General Hospital and the Boston Red Sox. It’s an incubator for evidence-based healing both nationally and internationally. The visit, organized through Global Response Medicine, including meetings with Ukrainian mental health experts about the unique challenges posed by drone warfare.

Home Base Team meets with Ukrainian Counterparts

Source: Ronald Hirschberg / Used with permission.

Profound Dread

Drones induce profound and, at times, almost disabling dread among soldiers on the ground. The high-pitched whine from the drone's spinning rotors combined with the hum of its electric motor warn the soldiers that, a few kilometers away, Russian drone operators may be tracking their every move, seeking to kill them.

In recent months, drones have caused more than 60% of the injuries among Ukrainian forces. Whether Russian or Ukrainian, soldiers from both sides can become hesitant to leave their barracks, knowing that, soon enough, they may hear the telltale buzz of a drone hunting them down and trying to annihilate them.

Insights from Ukrainian Hospitals

During his visit to Ukraine, Dr. Hirschberg and the HomeBase team toured three hospitals and participated in rounds with Ukrainian medical staff, gaining valuable insights:

• 90% of patients presenting to a mental health hospital in Kyiv return to the front lines.
• Despite traumatic brain injury, other injuries, and acute stress responses related to drone attacks, most soldiers express a strong desire to defend their country and rejoin their comrades.
• Many of the soldiers treated are older than Americans suffering battlefield casualties; they are often in their 40s and 50s, even their 60s. The preponderance of older men reflects a deliberate effort by Ukrainian society to shield younger men from the front lines—a way to ensure a next generation and the survival of Ukraine as a nation.
• In addition to standard therapies such as sedatives, anti-anxiety medications, talk therapy, and therapeutic art and yoga, some Ukrainian hospitals also feature salt rooms, rooms thickly lined with salt walls that create a meditative environment. Patients report immense relaxation breathing in the salt-infused air—an experience Dr. Hirschberg and the team found unique and lunlike anything offered in U.S. facilities.

The High Cost of Modern Combat

The psychological ramifications of drone warfare in Ukraine are profound and multifaceted. As Dr. Hirschberg's observations reveal, this modern combat strategy not only affects physical safety but also deeply impacts mental health. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for developing effective therapeutic interventions that address both the immediate and long-term needs of those affected by this new era of warfare.