Ukrainas nyttjande av drönare i Svarta havet : En analys ur ett processcentrerat perspektiv

Sammanfattning

This paper aims to broaden the existing understanding of Ukrainian drone usage, which is considered an important factor in explaining Russia’s changed behaviour and posture in the Black Sea, despite Ukraine having been significantly disadvantaged in relation to Russia’s military capabilities in the Black Sea. The military science perspective is understudied through a lens that lets us approach the knowledge of Ukrainian use of drones in the maritime domain from a comprehensive and process orientated perspective, since the existing research has primarily focused on the effects of the drones rather than the process behind their usage. To study the Ukrainian usage of drones data has been collected from both media reports and documented combat footage from the Black Sea since 2022. Results show that Ukraine has used a task adapted approach that takes the prevailing conditions into account during the operations to generate optimal effect against Russian naval platforms and its logistical fortifications, but also to conduct reconnaissance against Russian military targets. The findings are context specific and therefore limited in generalizability, therefore further studies with the same theoretical framework in another case would lead to more reliable conclusions about drone usage in asymmetrical conflicts in the maritime domain.