"More importantly, neither side realised the impact that drones would have." The Ukrainians absolutely realized that, and I saw a lot of reports about Ukrainia

"More importantly, neither side realised the impact that drones would have." The Ukrainians absolutely realized that, and I saw a lot of reports about Ukrainian drone operators in 2022 already. It was just after the Nagorno-Karabakh war, where Turkish-made drones were a significant factor in Azeri victory. There was something else at play. The supply chain had to be built up, plus the Russians were/are quite strong at radioelectronic warfare. Overcoming Russian jamming was a serious uphill battle.