Meet the 'Peaky Blinders': Ukraine's dronesquad defending Kharkiv | BBC News

In the village of Lyptsi, Ukrainian forces appear to have blunted Russia's surprise offensive.

A few weeks ago, they were rapidly advancing towardsKharkiv - but with the help of reinforcements, Ukraine is slowly stemming the tide.

One Ukrainian unit on the frontline call themselves thePeaky Blinders, after the cult TV series.

Oleksandr, their leader, says at the outbreak of the warthey turned up to guard their streets with shotguns,wearing civilian clothing - like a scene from the hit show.

The group uses cheap, mass-produced small dronesto take out tanks, target groups of infantry or individual soldiers.