The Ukrainian Armed Forces' Ground Forces Have Established A Drone Force

• 6.10.2026, 17:16

Who led them?

The Ukrainian Army has also established its own drone unit. It will carry out missions in support of combined-arms units under the command of Colonel Andriy Ostapenko. This was reported by “Ukrinform”.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) Land Forces Command has established a Unmanned Systems Directorate, headed by Colonel Andriy Ostapenko. It will be responsible for recruiting personnel, developing the unmanned systems component of the Ground Forces, and training subordinate units.

Ostapenko explained that the Drone Forces are not a separate branch or type of military force. It is an internal initiative of the Army, within which unmanned systems for combined-arms brigades, corps-level drone units, and ground-based robotic systems will be developed. According to him, there is no duplication of functions with other branches of the military. “We do not compete with the Unmanned Systems Forces. Within the Army, we carry out all tasks in the interests of combined-arms units,” he said.

According to the colonel, Drone Forces units are deployed in both defensive and offensive operations, as well as performing logistical and support tasks. “The motto of our Drone Forces is ‘On the ground, in the air, everywhere.’ It is precisely this motto that reflects our deep integration into the Army,” Ostapenko noted.

Currently, the Army has established a comprehensive hierarchy of unmanned units: each battalion has a drone company, each brigade has a drone battalion, and each corps has a drone regiment.

Participants in the event emphasized that the Army’s Drone Forces are a fully integrated, day-to-day combat component of the units. “This means saving the lives of our soldiers, making instant decisions, and ensuring absolute technological superiority along every meter of the front line. The Army is setting a new standard for modern warfare that the whole world is now adopting,” it was stated at the press conference.