Ukraine develops own Mavic-style drones and hunts Russian operators

Ukraine prepares replacement for Chinese Mavic drones

According to Fedorov, Ukraine is actively working to reduce its dependence on Chinese drones.

“We are already testing a specific solution this month. We will have our own Mavic-type drone — the camera will be the same, but the flight range will be longer,” the minister said.

How Ukraine measures drone effectiveness

Fedorov emphasized that thanks to the e-Points system, the Defense Ministry now fully understands how and where drones are used on the battlefield.

The next step will be the launch of the Mission control project, which will allow authorities to track:

• drone types

• flight routes

• launch locations

• mission effectiveness

This will close the entire drone lifecycle — from procurement and logistics to combat use.

Mission control: from drones to artillery

The minister said Mission control has been in development for nearly two years. After its rollout for drones, the system will be scaled to artillery.

In addition, the Defense Ministry will receive full statistics on drone crews, including commanders, monthly rankings, and unit performance indicators.

“We need to see the full picture to make fast and correct management decisions,” Fedorov explained.

Hunting Russian drone operators

The Defense Ministry is also focusing on countering Russian drone operators.

According to Fedorov, Ukraine’s task is to eliminate enemy drone operators from the battlefield. Specialized units are being formed specifically to hunt them down.

“This experience already exists — now it needs to be scaled up,” he said.

Drone-assault units: the future of warfare

The minister also announced the development of drone-assault units with a different organizational structure and doctrine for drone use.

According to him, the Code 9.2 unit recently conducted a unique operation in Kupiansk, demonstrating the effectiveness of the new tactics.

“Drone-assault units are the future. You will hear a lot more about them,” Fedorov concluded.

Ukraine increases production of interceptor drones

Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that by the end of November, Ukraine would be producing 600–800 interceptor drones per day, although Russian strikes could threaten these plans.

In addition, it was reported in the fall that the UK would sign an agreement with Ukraine on joint development and production of advanced military equipment, including technology sharing to strengthen national security.

Ukraine has also recently begun producing interceptor drones jointly with the United States.

Currently, Ukraine is working on countering Russian guided aerial bombs. Several companies are developing specialized interceptor drones for this purpose.

Ukrainian engineers have also created low-cost interceptor drones that are already shooting down hundreds of Russian Shahed drones.