Ukraine's drone branch turns one, claiming $40 billion in Russian losses
Zelensky made June 11 the official day of the Unmanned Systems Forces as its mid-range campaign works through Russian logistics, but test pilots say many new drones arrive broken.
Zelensky made June 11 the official day of the Unmanned Systems Forces as its mid-range campaign works through Russian logistics, but test pilots say many new drones arrive broken.
President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree on June 10 making June 11 the annual Day of the Unmanned Systems Forces, Kyiv Post reported. Ukraine is the first country to organize its drone operators into a separate branch of the armed forces, Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
He attached a damage estimate to the anniversary. Russian targets worth nearly $40 billion have been hit in the year since the branch was created, he said in his evening address. In April the cumulative figure Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi gave was $25.5 billion, per Euromaidan Press. Neither number can be checked independently. The branch, known by its Ukrainian abbreviation SBS, fields eleven combat units and answers to Robert Brovdi, call sign Madiar, who founded the Madiar's Birds unit as a volunteer.
Zelensky reserved specific thanks for what he called middle strikes. "Russian military logistics across the entire depth of the temporarily occupied territory is now accessible to Ukrainian drones," he said, per Euromaidan Press, and Belgorod and Kursk on the Russian side of the border are in range as well. The class doing this work is the fixed-wing mid-range strike drone, which flies between 18 and 180 miles and costs $1,000 to $15,000, Business Insider wrote. One of the better known types, Perennial Autonomy's Hornet, carries an 11-pound warhead about 93 miles and spent May hitting logistics highways behind the southern front. A $113 million program called Logistics Lockdown has funded the campaign since late May.
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Subscribe Free →Quality control falls to frontline pilots. Spring, a National Guard test pilot with the Typhoon unit, told Business Insider that the first mid-range drone she tested in early 2025 failed on every sortie, and that she now flies up to 11 test flights a day to keep bad airframes away from combat crews. Manufacturers answer for it commercially. Units buy from their own budgets, and the state-run Brave1 marketplace scores prototypes on reliability. George Barros of the Institute for the Study of War told the outlet the system is an MRAP program "on steroids," though companies that never deliver remain its hidden cost.
Euromaidan Press dates the lineage to June 10, 2022, when three SIGNUM battalion operators flew the first FPV combat strike on the radio call "Fourth house. Blue doors." For 2026, Kyiv Post noted, Zelensky has ordered the force expanded again, with ground robots assuming frontline resupply and casualty evacuation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces?
A dedicated drone branch of Ukraine's Armed Forces, formally established on June 11, 2025. Euromaidan Press reports it now has eleven combat units and its own doctrine, commanded by Robert "Madiar" Brovdi.
Where does the $40 billion figure come from?
It is Zelensky's own claim for the value of Russian targets struck in the branch's first year, made in his June 10 address. Euromaidan Press notes it is 57 percent above the $25.5 billion figure Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi cited in April 2026. It is not independently verified.
What is a mid-range strike drone?
A fixed-wing system flying roughly 18 to 180 miles, costing about $1,000 to $15,000, per Business Insider. The class hits logistics, command posts and transports in Russian rear areas once considered safe, between FPV range and deep-strike distance.
Why do some drones arrive faulty?
Ukraine's open-market drone industry has many competing manufacturers shipping at speed, so quality varies, Business Insider reported. Combat pilots test each type before clearing it for frontline crews, and units that hold their own budgets drop unreliable suppliers.
Why is June 11 the chosen date?
The branch was formally established on June 11, 2025. Euromaidan Press also marks June 10, 2022 as the date of the world's first FPV drone combat strike, flown by Ukraine's SIGNUM battalion.
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Marcus Schuler
Marcus Schuler edits BattlePolicy, a daily defense-technology brief connecting the companies and capabilities behind modern war to the contest among Europe, the US, Russia, and China.