Up to 40 tonnes, or as much as 500,000 kilometres, of fibre-optic cable from Russian FPV drones may already remain uncleared on the Ukrainian-controlled right bank of the Kherson region. This would be enough cable to circle the Earth five to seven times along the equator.
Information and communications technology expert Yurii Antoshchuk reported the estimate.
“Up to 40 tonnes and up to 500,000 kilometres of fibre-optic cable from Russian FPV drones may already remain uncleared on the right bank of the Kherson region. This is a very general average estimate based on modelling using available drone statistics as of September 2026. That length would be enough to circle the Earth five to seven times along the equator,” the expert said.
According to Antoshchuk:
"Fibre-optic cable from drones remains scattered across fields, populated areas, rivers, islands and wetlands. His estimate covers only the right bank of the Kherson region. According to his model, the total amount of such fibre-optic material left in the ground could reach hundreds of tonnes."
Antoshchuk described fibre-optic cable as a new form of war-related waste. It is durable, almost invisible, does not decompose and can remain in the environment for decades.
According to the expert, the polymer fibre can entangle birds and other animals, and nests woven with fibre-optic cable have already been documented.
Antoshchuk noted that there are currently no precise data on the scale of the contamination. A representative assessment will only become possible after active hostilities end and access to contaminated areas is restored.
At the same time, he said there is currently no technology available anywhere in the world for the large-scale clearance of extensive territories contaminated with fibre-optic cable.
