President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sept. 16 signed a bill on the formation of a separate branch of Ukraine's Armed Forces dedicated to unmanned systems.
The president first announced plans to form the Unmanned Systems Forces in February, underscoring the importance of drones on the Ukrainian battlefields.
Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Hero of Ukraine Colonel Vadym Sukharevskyi was appointed to head the youngest branch of Ukraine's military.
The Unmanned Systems Forces were established to improve Ukraine's work with drones, form special drone-specific units, and improve the production, training, and innovation of unmanned vehicles.
Daria Svitlyk
Various aerial, naval, and ground drones have been developed and often successfully used for reconnaissance, combat, and other tasks throughout the full-scale with Russia. Ukraine said it aims to produce 1 million drones this year, in addition to the thousands pledged by foreign partners.
The Ukrainian military has proven to be a pioneer in drone technology, using innovative ways to undermine Russia's material and numerical advantage.
Aerial drones have been used to ram into Russian helicopters or drop molten metal on ground positions, while naval drones were a key component in upending Russia's dominance in the Black Sea.
In turn, Russia has also widely deployed drone capabilities during the full-scale invasion, both on the battlefield and to attack Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
Chris York
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