The Ukrainian military has unveiled a unit devoted to aerial and maritime drones, separate from its armed and air forces.
The special unit was made public in Kyiv on Tuesday. Various types of drones were also displayed, including a drone that can carry bombs and a maritime drone installed with what appears to be a camera.
Vadym Sukharevskyi, the commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces, said: “We are starting to dictate the rules. And one of the first steps is us having created a new type of force, the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Ukrainian armed forces.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a decree in February calling for the creation of a separate branch of the armed forces devoted to drones. He said the country will produce one million drones by the end of this year.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian air forces announced on Wednesday that they had shot down all 24 drones and five out of six missiles launched by Russian forces targeting various parts of the country.
The governor of the Kyiv region said one resident was injured by fallen debris and that fire broke out at an industrial facility and a warehouse.
Since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, both sides have used a massive number of drones on the battlefields for various purposes, including aerial reconnaissance and attacks against enemy units.