Robert Brovdi, Commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces:
A “symbolic” attack on Red Square would generate headlines around the world but says Ukraine will probably deliver a “slap in the face” where Russia’s air defences are weaker. 1/9
“Why waste drones on the ‘great wall’,” he said, referring to the enhanced security around Moscow. "If you hit the energy sector or military that’s the best strike, on the periphery.” 2/9
“Practically everything there [at Russia's Tuapse oil terminal] has burned." Putin spends 40% of his $530bn annual budget on the military and Brovdi estimates that 100m tonnes of Russian oil, worth $100bn, is exported each year from ports within range of his drones. 3/9
For the fifth month in a row the Kremlin has lost more soldiers than it can recruit, putting deaths at 30,000 to 34,000 a month. “This affects the combat capability of the Russian army, reducing its offensive potential. That is a fact,” 4/9
A situational awareness system, Delta, logs every mission, including failures. Brovdi says he receives 12-15 terabytes of raw video footage every day. 5/9
In Brovdi’s view, Ukraine has pioneered a “new doctrine of war”. Drones are responsible for 80% of destruction, supplanting assault rifles and armour. “A blitzkrieg is now impossible." 6/9
"If Russia had a million tanks and tried to seize Kyiv again, it would be the biggest bloodbath in world history. Two million drones would swarm over these tanks and burn them mercilessly.” 7/9
NATO countries have not yet fully grasped the need to overhaul their armies. Many of the generals in charge received their military training when “nobody gave a shit about drones”. 8/9
They need to emulate Ukraine’s example by building an ecosystem that integrates video footage, photographs, coordinates, and confirmed kills. “Russia won’t stop. Neither we nor you have time.”. 9/9
source: theguardian.com/world/2026/may…
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