Russian soldiers call the practice a sacrifice to Baba Yaga, a fearsome witch from Slavic folklore who feasts on her victims.

DONETSK REGION (Reuters) -For months, Ukraine has picked off Russian soldiers by the thousand around the frontline city of Pokrovsk, using small drones armed with bombs to tie down a numerically superior force.

Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google and co-founder of Swift Beat, has emerged as an unlikely friend of Ukraine. While tech giants like Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Maxar have emerged as unreliable partners,

You know, everything you tell us will be used against you,” the interviewer on Russian TV warns Timur Shagivaleev, the man behind one of the country’s biggest drone factories.

Russia is launching a record-breaking number of drones at Ukrainian cities. But these ones include new technology, like advanced satellite navigation systems and the capacity to carry a 90-kg munition.

"According to received reports, a drone was spotted at an altitude of about 200 meters, last seen near Vilnius," said Darius Buta, a representative of Lithuania's National Crisis Management Center, according to LRT.

Russia held subdued ceremonies honoring its navy on July 27 in St. Petersburg, citing security concerns, and authorities in the surrounding region reported that air defense forces shot down several drones they said were fired by Ukraine.

The shipments have allowed Russian weapons-maker IEMZ Kupol to increase its production of the Garpiya-A1 attack drone, despite the U.S. and EU sanctions imposed in October.