AI will remove drone operators from battlefield - Ukraine's digital minister Fedorov
Photo: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov (RBC-Ukraine, Vitalii Nosach)
Russia has reportedly formed a new military unit, Rubicon, tasked with locating and targeting Ukrainian drone operators. In response, Ukraine is pushing to increase drone autonomy using artificial intelligence (AI) to remove human operators from frontline positions, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov says in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.
"So our mission is to enable remote operation as much as possible and eventually implement autonomy. That's the next stage of warfare. The goal is for an operator to control a battlefield drone from any city in the country," Fedorov said.
Ukraine's Minister acknowledged that fully autonomous drones may still be years away and will require significant research and investment, but AI is already being integrated into critical areas of Ukraine's battlefield technology.
"AI is already actively used to decode imagery, target enemies, interpret real-time transmissions, and even for AI-guided adjustments on FPV drones. We're launching a dedicated grant program in this area – this is the future of the battlefield," Fedorov noted.
Drones in war in Ukraine
In Ukraine's war effort, drones have become indispensable, used for reconnaissance, artillery correction, precision strikes, and defense. The evolving tactics of drone warfare have prompted both Ukraine and Russia to rapidly adapt their military strategies.
The use of drones has become one of the key tactics on the front. Their effectiveness forces both Ukraine and Russia to constantly adapt their actions and change approaches to conducting combat operations.
Today, the terrorist country resorts to launching Shahed drones almost every night. As President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted, Russia plans to launch up to 1,000 drones every night.
According to the Head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, Tymur Tkachenko, in the meantime, Kyiv is planning to launch a large-scale Clear Sky project, which involves protection using domestic interceptor drones.
