Anti-drone netting is becoming so common on Ukraine’s roads that enough was laid this year to run from the northern to southern ends of Florida.
Ukraine’s defense ministry said on Saturday that it has installed 822 kilometers, or about 510 miles, of “anti-drone protection” on its frontline roads this year.
About 131 miles of that protection — heavy-duty netting that entangles incoming attack quadcopters — was laid in May alone, the ministry said.
The length of Florida from north to south, meanwhile, is about 447 miles if one drives from the Georgia border to Key West, the state’s southernmost city.
“Reliable logistics near the front remains a constant priority. We are systematically working to protect key routes,” the ministry wrote in its statement.
Its State Special Transport Service sets up wooden or metal frames along roads, draping mesh over them to form tunnels that stretch for miles.
Much of this anti-drone netting comes from repurposed farming or fishing mesh, often donated by Western allies. They’re particularly effective at catching the propeller blades of small attack drones, making them a cheap last line of defense against the war’s No. 1 killer.
Ukrainian and Russian forces both initially set up nets to protect armored vehicles, but in late 2023 began using them to cover fixed positions, particularly as unjammable, fiber-optic drones entered the battlefield and electronic warfare became less reliable.
Russia was the first to begin constructing mesh tunnels at scale on vulnerable roads under its control, with initial footage from the spring of 2025 showing it covering highways in Donetsk.
But Ukraine is investing heavily in the tactic as well. Its defense ministry said last month that it was laying 5.2 miles of nets per day, up from 2.4 miles per day in 2025.
Based on its statistics, the ministry has laid at least 720 miles of drone nets in the last two years, roughly the distance between New York City and Chicago.
While the nets can be an effective counter-drone defense, they’re not foolproof. Repeated drone attacks can create breaches in the mesh, allowing explosive-laden drones to slip in and lie in wait for passing vehicles or troops.
