Balloons will be installed in the Tula region of the Russian Federation against Ukrainian UAVs: what is known (photo)

One of the enterprises of the chemical industry in the Tula region of the Russian Federation announced in September 2025 a tender for the purchase of balloons to protect its facilities from attacks by Ukrainian UAVs, the Russian publication Daily Storm reports. The name of the customer company is not specified, but there are several large chemical factories operating in the region. The Russian company "Stratosphere Systems" is engaged in the production of balloons.

The cost of the project exceeds 9 million rubles ($110,000), and the installation of the structure is expected to be completed in about a month. According to the manufacturer, the system includes several balloons, between which a special net is stretched, designed to intercept drones. In addition, radio electronic warfare (EW) systems can be installed on balloons.

Experts of the "Military" portal, however, express doubts about the effectiveness of such protection, noting that it is practically impossible to maintain a balloon barrier in the air all the time. It is assumed that the balloons will rise only in the event of an increased threat or on a reconnaissance signal. The technology of balloon protection appeared during the First World War. Hanging cables and chains interfered with enemy aircraft and often led to plane crashes.

During the Second World War, balloons were actively used to defend large Soviet cities against Luftwaffe raids. In Great Britain, during the Battle of Britain, a Royal Air Force squadron served as a unit of Balloon Command, which used barrage balloons. They forced enemy planes to fly higher, which reduced the accuracy of strikes. In 1940, the British raised 1,466 balls, 450 of them over London alone.