New phase of war: Army chief announces technological breakthrough on battlefield
Photo: Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
The war in Ukraine is entering a new technological stage, where the key factor for victory is the acceleration of production and the deployment of unmanned systems, states Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi.
According to Syrskyi, the war has entered a phase where the expansion of "kill zones" is a direct consequence of the growing capabilities of strike UAVs. Against this backdrop, Russia is losing the initiative, especially in the southern directions.
Intelligence reports that by April 1, Russia plans to increase the number of its unmanned systems units to 101,000 personnel. Currently, Russia is already capable of producing over 19,000 FPV drones per day.
Despite the enemy’s ramp-up in production, the Ukrainian Defense Forces maintain an advantage in deploying multirotor FPV drones. In February alone, Ukrainian drones struck more than 105,200 enemy targets. In addition:
-
Approximately 4,200 positions of Russian UAV operators were destroyed.
-
The field of fiber-optic-controlled drones is actively developing.
-
Ground robotic systems completed over 2,300 logistical and combat tasks during the month.
To counter Russian attacks, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are creating specialized UAV interceptor platoons. Their goal is to destroy enemy quadcopters and strike drones using anti-drone rifles, electronic warfare systems, and net launchers.
Syrskyi emphasized that the development of unmanned systems is the number one priority, as it directly eases the workload of infantry on the battlefield.
The digitalization of defense procurement has allowed the Defense Forces units to receive necessary equipment much faster. Over seven months of the DOT-Chain Defense system’s operation, the military received 500,000 units of equipment, fundamentally changing the approach to frontline supply.
Earlier, RBC-Ukraine reported that the Ministry of Defense significantly increased procurement of weapons and equipment from Ukrainian manufacturers. Over a year, the share of domestic products in military procurement rose from 46% to 82%, while the share of imports decreased to 18%.
