Mikkel Christensen
Ukrainian drone commanders fighting on the front lines say modern warfare has changed faster than Europe’s armies can adapt.
Ukrainian drone commanders fighting on the front lines say modern warfare has changed faster than Europe’s armies can adapt.
According to Euronews, Ukrainian soldiers believe future wars will be decided less by tanks and more by drones, mass production and trained operators.
Warfare changing
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has dramatically reshaped battlefield tactics over the past four years.
Corporal Dmytro Zhluktenko from Ukraine’s 413th Unmanned Systems Regiment said traditional military thinking is becoming outdated.
“In the past year, I’ve seen one tank on the battlefield,” he said during a briefing in Berlin organised by the German-Ukrainian Bureau.
“When you speak with the German military, they say: you need these tanks because they are the most important thing in war. We don’t think so.”
Drone-first combat
Germany has sharply increased defence spending since Russia’s invasion, including investments in Leopard 2A8 tanks and drone systems.
But Ukrainian officers argue European armies still underestimate the importance of FPV kamikaze drones and bomber drones.
Captain Oleksandr Voitko said modern armies need “as many FPV kamikaze drones as bullets.”
According to Voitko, roughly 80% of Russian infantry losses in Ukraine are caused by FPV and bomber drones.
Training gap
The Ukrainian officers also warned that drones alone are not enough without properly trained operators.
Germany plans to expand drone training across the Bundeswehr later this year, while Ukrainian instructors are already helping train German troops at military schools.
“The army wants to benefit in every area from the experience of the Ukrainian armed forces,” Lieutenant General Christian Freuding told Welt am Sonntag earlier this year.
Ukraine has also offered to directly train German soldiers either in Germany or on Ukrainian soil.
Europe’s defence
The Ukrainian commanders argued that adapting quickly is now critical for Europe’s collective security.
They warned that Russia has mastered drone-centric warfare at a scale most Western militaries still struggle to match.
“There are two militaries in the world right now who are ready and know a lot about drone-centric warfare: Ukraine and Russia,” Zhluktenko said.
The officers added that NATO countries will need closer cooperation and faster military adaptation if they want to prepare for future conflicts.
Sources: Euronews, AP, Welt am Sonntag
