The Times: Ukraine Is Fundamentally Changing Its Approach To Warfare

• 23.05.2026, 9:27

The system has impressed Western politicians.

Small icons in the form of skulls appear on the screens at Kiev headquarters. Visually, it resembles the interface of a computer game: the system shows in real time the number of destroyed Russian targets on the front. For confirmed defeats of the enemy, Ukrainian units receive conditional points, which can then be used to purchase vehicles and equipment through the Brave1 online platform.

As The Times notes, such "gamification" of the war is causing mixed reactions. According to the newspaper, some Western politicians left meetings after presentations of this system with a heavy impression - the digital interface in the style of Call of Duty sharply contrasts with the reality of modern armed conflict.

The Ukrainian military, however, emphasize the effectiveness of the initiative. The eBali system, launched in 2024, is already bringing practical results on the battlefield. According to commanders, for the first time since October 2023, Russian forces have begun to steadily lose control of territories. Over the past 30 days, Ukraine is said to have regained about 189 square kilometers.

According to analysts, such dynamics was ensured by the high rate of attrition of Russian units, as well as the effective use of drones. This may indicate a slowdown in the Russian offensive and, as Ukraine expects, become a turning point in the war.

How the "YeBali"

The head of the unmanned systems department of the 7th Corps, Lieutenant Colonel Denis Polyachenko, told reporters that the YeBali platform helps units operate more effectively.

He said that for destroying or damaging enemy vehicles and manpower, fighters receive points, which are then converted into the necessary resources and equipment. The military understand that they are simultaneously performing combat tasks, defending the country and promptly receiving the tools needed for further work.

"They can choose themselves from the available list," he stressed.

All Ukrainian units on the front lines - both specialized and non-specialized - are ranked in a leaderboard. Points are exchanged for rewards. They are then allowed to use the Marketplace to purchase necessary equipment.

The number of points a unit receives depends on its monthly performance. Points are awarded for eliminating enemy personnel, destroying enemy positions with personnel inside, destroying equipment, destroying enemy electronic warfare antennas and many other categories.

"There is a very extensive list of what points are awarded for and how many," Polyachenko explained. Wounding a Russian soldier is valued at eight points. Twelve points are awarded for a liquidated, four for a destroyed motorcycle. To get more points, units must provide more data on how they performed tasks so they can be verified and validated.

"This system acts more as a motivator to do more. You work, you report, you get points back - and then you convert them into additional resources beyond what is provided by the armed forces," Polyachenko emphasized.

This system is useful directly for the military

As a result, individual Ukrainian units get to decide for themselves what weapons they need to fight the Russians. It is delivered within weeks. What doesn't work is no longer purchased.

The journalists say the range of equipment that can be purchased through the system expands almost every week. There are 589 items and components of all types available, including ground drones, unmanned aerial vehicles, FPV drones and electronic warfare systems.

The Ukrainian military, in particular, can buy Uforce systems, including the Nemesis drone, on the marketplace. Nemesis is used to destroy Russian battle orders - artillery, self-propelled artillery units, vehicles, cargo transport, control points, and shelters - both surface and underground.

It has also carried out successful missions against Russian warships in the Black Sea. Oleg Roginsky, founder and chief executive of Ukrainian defense-technology company Uforce, said the єBali system is also useful for defense companies because it provides them with feedback on the effectiveness of their products.

"It is a very meritocratic system. Each unit can decide for itself how to utilize its points. This system brings decision-making down from the top down, from centralized purchasing to individual unit commanders. There is nothing like it anymore. There is direct market feedback," he stressed.

He noted that a significant part of the firm's revenue in Ukraine comes from the marketplace.

In Britain, things are different now

This is the opposite of what the UK Ministry of Defense is trying to achieve with its reforms, said a source familiar with the changes.

"Our reforms are aimed at a more centralized model where all power is concentrated in the hands of the chief of defense staff and the director of national armaments. They pick and choose what everyone has. In Ukraine, it is the opposite: brigade commanders at the lowest level choose what they are going to buy," the source emphasized.

The mood in Ukraine is more optimistic

The mood in Kiev is more optimistic now than it was last winter. Mikhail Fedorov, Ukraine's defense minister, said Russia lost 35,203 troops eliminated or seriously wounded last month, marking the fifth straight month in which the occupiers' battlefield losses exceeded their ability to mobilize new forces.

Ukraine's strategy is to increase that number to 50,000 Russian soldiers a month, making the cost of war unacceptable to Russia. Ukraine no longer depends so heavily on long-range missiles to hit targets deep inside Russia, as drones are now capable of launching long-range attacks on oil and weapons infrastructure, as well as other targets hundreds of kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

For example, this week drones attacked the Syzran refinery more than 800 kilometers deep into Russian territory. Kremlin dictator Putin's abbreviated May Day parade, usually used to showcase the country's military might and strength, was evidence of Moscow's growing fear of Ukrainian drones.

A second source who recently heard a report from top Ukrainian military figures said it was "striking how battle-hardened the Ukrainians are." "When they show charts of Russian losses, those losses are measured in graphics of small skulls. But on the same scale, you can see how determined they are. And perhaps the most striking thing is the quiet but growing confidence that the situation is changing in their favor and they can win," he said.