Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 launched what many analysts call the world’s first large-scale drone war (FPV drones in Ukraine are changing modern warfare – Atlantic Council) (Missiles, AI, and drone swarms: Ukraine’s 2025 defense tech priorities – Atlantic Council). Over the past three years, Ukraine has harnessed cutting-edge technology to offset Russia’s overwhelming advantages in manpower and firepower. “We need technological advantage to prevail on the battlefield,” – Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Ivan Havrylyuk has noted (Day 664: Ukraine, UK to sign 10-year security pact | UACRISIS.ORG). Indeed, technology – from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to satellite internet and cyber defenses – is shifting the balance of power on the battlefield. Ukraine is not only rapidly adapting to new warfare methods but actively creating tactics that are redefining armed conflict in the 21st century. Its innovations in drones, digital systems, and civilian-military tech cooperation are changing the rules of war and could influence how future wars are fought around the globe.
Ukrainian Military Technology Developments
Ukraine’s defense forces have undergone a technological revolution, spurring domestic development of drones and other military tech. Before the invasion, Ukraine had only around 30 domestic drone manufacturers; now there are close to 200 (“Очі” ЗСУ. Як дрони змінили війну в Україні). This explosive growth is fueled by urgent battlefield needs and streamlined bureaucracy. The range of UAVs in use spans from low-cost first-person-view (FPV) quadcopters to long-range combat drones. Small commercial drones like DJI Mavics and Matrice models have been adapted for frontline reconnaissance and bombing, while larger indigenous UAVs (and even Turkish Bayraktar TB2s) carry out deep strikes .
Every drone produced in Ukraine has its use… even if it is used by the smallest unit – we purchase it, – says Yurii Shchyhhol, head of the State Special Communications Service, describing how the government’s Army of Drones program eagerly absorbs local innovations.
This program, initially a volunteer initiative, became a full-fledged state project that in one year procured 5,000 drones worth about ₴4.5 billion (approximately $122 million). Notably, 80% of the drones purchased by the program are made in Ukraine, battle-tested and customized for war conditions .
Ukrainian companies and startups are at the forefront of UAV production for both reconnaissance and strike missions. They produce everything from tiny FPV kamikaze drones costing a few hundred dollars to heavy octocopters and mid-range fixed-wing drones. Many off-the-shelf civilian drones have been ingeniously repurposed for combat. Soldiers routinely modify hobbyist quadcopters to drop grenades or serve as eyes-in-the-sky for artillery. This has led to what one report calls a “revolutionary breakthrough” in the use of drones as weapons – never before and nowhere else has there been such demand for them. The Ukrainian army is estimated to be losing around 10,000 drones per month on the front, yet still needs far more; volunteer experts suggest demand is 20 times higher than current supply. Such losses are quickly compensated by local mass production and inventive workarounds, ensuring that Ukrainian units are rarely left blind.
Beyond drones, Ukraine’s military is integrating advanced armor and electronics and even experimenting with robotics and artificial intelligence. Western-provided tanks and armored vehicles have been upgraded with new reactive armor panels and electronic countermeasures to survive on a sensor-saturated battlefield. Ukrainian developers are building automated turret systems and unmanned ground vehicles for dangerous tasks. For example, the army has begun deploying remote-controlled machine gun turrets that soldiers operate from a safe distance – even using game controllers in some cases (Ukraine Fielding Machine-Gun Turrets Controlled by Steam Deck – Business Insider). This repurposing of consumer technology underlines how innovation thrives under pressure (Ukraine Fielding Machine-Gun Turrets Controlled by Steam Deck – Business Insider).
The use of the Steam Deck platform to control unmanned machine-gun systems highlights the continued influence of modern technologies in the Ukraine war, – one defense outlet noted, adding that Ukraine often employs systems in ways outside their original purpose.
Artificial intelligence is another force multiplier. The Ukrainian military has developed software platforms to analyze battlefield data and assist decision-making (In Ukraine’s AI-enabled war against Russia, humans still call the shots). Enormous troves of combat footage – an estimated 2 million hours of drone video – are being used to train AI models for target recognition and battle management (Ukraine collects vast war data trove to train AI models | Reuters) (Ukraine collects vast war data trove to train AI models | Reuters).
This is food for the AI: If you want to teach an AI, you give it 2 million hours of video, it will become something supernatural, – explains Oleksandr Dmitriev, founder of a system that centralizes live feeds from over 15,000 drones.
By converting frontline experience into “mathematics,” as he describes it, Ukraine’s tech community is enabling algorithms to identify enemies and optimal strike tactics faster than any human. AI tools now scan images to spot camouflaged tanks in minutes and help commanders coordinate drone and artillery strikes with unprecedented speed (How Starlink Keeps Ukraine’s Military Online and Ahead in Battle | UNITED24 Media). In effect, Ukraine’s army is tapping machine learning to outthink and outmaneuver a larger foe. These technologies cannot entirely even the odds against Russia, but they minimize the impact of Russia’s greater resources (Missiles, AI, and drone swarms: Ukraine’s 2025 defense tech priorities – Atlantic Council) and keep Ukraine a step ahead in the innovation race.
Ukraine has also leveraged extensive cooperation with foreign partners to modernize its forces. Western weapons like HIMARS rockets, Javelin anti-tank missiles, and air defense systems have been integrated into Ukraine’s own command networks, often enhanced by local software tweaks. Joint ventures have been launched with U.S. and European companies to produce artillery shells and even anti-aircraft missiles on Ukrainian soil (Day 664: Ukraine, UK to sign 10-year security pact | UACRISIS.ORG) (Day 664: Ukraine, UK to sign 10-year security pact | UACRISIS.ORG). This blend of domestic ingenuity and imported technology is exemplified by projects such as the “people’s satellite” – a SAR imaging satellite bought via a Ukrainian crowdfunding campaign. Using donations, a Ukrainian charity obtained access to a Finnish ICEYE radar satellite, giving Kyiv real-time eyes in the sky. The payoff was dramatic: the satellite has helped Ukrainian intelligence destroy “thousands of military targets, including the Rostov-on-Don submarine and the Minsk landing ship,” according to volunteer fund organizer Serhiy Prytula (Ukraine’s ‘people’s satellite’ wreaks havoc on Russian targets – POLITICO). “It paid itself off dozens of times,” Prytula said of this crowdfunded asset. From microsatellites to drone swarms, Ukraine has shown how embracing technology and partnering with allies can modernize an army in the middle of a war.
FPV Drones, Satellite Communication, Cyber Warfare
One of the most game-changing innovations in this war has been the proliferation of FPV drones on the battlefield. First-person-view drones – nimble quadcopters piloted via headset – have become an inexpensive, effective, and mass-produced weapon for Ukraine (FPV drones in Ukraine are changing modern warfare – Atlantic Council). These small kamikaze UAVs, often assembled in workshops, carry explosive charges directly onto targets. Ukrainian units use FPV drones for everything from pinpointing enemy positions to destroying tanks and bunkers. Their agility and precision have “resulted in a dramatic shift in our understanding of modern warfare,” analysts note. Despite costing only a few hundred dollars each, FPVs can dive-bomb a convoy or trench with an 80% lethality rate against troops and vehicles – “no artillery can compare with this,” as Shchyhhol observes. Dozens of dedicated FPV drone strike companies now operate on the front, and Ukraine even formed the world’s first UAV strike units integrated at the battalion level. To counter Russia’s armored vehicles, Ukrainian engineers have improvised drones like the “Vampire,” which straps an anti-tank mine to a heavy FPV frame, essentially creating a guided hovering bomb. Videos have shown these Vampire drones taking out Russian tanks under cover of darkness. Recognizing how crucial these systems are, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense aims to acquire 200,000 kamikaze drones by year’s end – although current output is still catching up. Where drones are in short supply, Ukrainian soldiers sadly remark, they are forced to fight with manpower instead of machines.
The rise of drones has also triggered a cat-and-mouse struggle for electronic dominance. Both sides employ electronic warfare (EW) units to jam or hijack enemy UAVs. Here, Ukraine has shown particular creativity in developing countermeasures. Specialized teams use anti-drone guns, signal jammers, and spoofing devices to bring down Russian drones or misdirect their GPS guidance. In 2024, Ukraine unveiled the Pokrova EW system, which spoofs satellite signals to confuse Russian Shahed kamikaze drones, causing them to miss targets or crash harmlessly (Pokrova EW system, which successfully neutralizes Shaheds, has been launched in Ukraine – Militarnyi).
Pokrova exists and is being used… Electronic warfare systems work against all enemy air attack means, – former Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat confirmed. Ukrainian engineers have fielded a whole network of such devices blanketing the country.
These efforts have yielded tangible results: by early 2024, intact Russian Shahed drones were being found on the ground, brought down by EW without a scratch. At the same time, Ukraine is racing to deploy interceptor drones – UAVs that can hunt other drones. In a government competition, dozens of local manufacturers submitted drone designs that can chase and disable enemy UAVs; one winning model has already shot down around 20 Russian spy drones on the front (Missiles, AI, and drone swarms: Ukraine’s 2025 defense tech priorities – Atlantic Council). This innovation-on-innovation dynamic shows how Ukraine is continually adapting to negate Russia’s tactics.
Ukraine has a modern development, and not just one, that can interfere with the systems of such [drones]… Hundreds of thousands of devices are being installed all over the country, – says Oleksandr Fediyenko, a Ukrainian MP overseeing digital innovations.
Secure communications are another area where technology turned the tide. At the start of the invasion, Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service was rapidly deployed in Ukraine, and it proved transformative. Starlink gave front-line units and commanders reliable broadband connectivity even when Russian strikes knocked out cellular towers or power grids. It enabled drone operators to stream live video feeds to targeting teams and allowed dispersed units to coordinate attacks in real time.
Oleksandr Fediienko, Member of the Ukrainian Parliament, highlights the importance of secure communications:
Modern warfare is fundamentally about automation, battlefield awareness, and the full digitalization of military operations. The Ukrainian military employs DZVIN for automation, DELTA for battlefield awareness, and VEZHA and OCHI for real-time intelligence transmission. These systems rely on high-bandwidth, low-latency connectivity to ensure rapid and effective decision-making on the tactical level, particularly for UAV strike units conducting reconnaissance near the front lines.
Mobile command centers with secure communication channels are essential for coordinating military units at both the operational and tactical levels. These centers integrate multiple communication technologies — not just Starlink but also fiber-optic networks and radio relay systems — to enhance resilience and redundancy. Starlink often dominates, but ensuring alternative communication pathways is critical to sustaining battlefield operations. For command-level coordination, bandwidth must exceed 100 Mbps to allow for uninterrupted video streaming from reconnaissance platforms and real-time intelligence analysis.
He added that cyber threats pose a significant risk to military operations. Any attack on a communication provider’s infrastructure can impact the battlefield. Russia’s early cyberattacks on Viasat satellite modems demonstrated the vulnerability of such systems. Cyberattacks, whether through DDoS, phishing, or direct intrusions into digital infrastructure, are designed to cripple military communications and disrupt command structures. This underscores the need for diversified, encrypted communication channels and robust cyber resilience measures.
Beyond cyberattacks on infrastructure, cloud-based military operations face another major challenge: dependency on external technology providers. While commercial cloud services such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and Oracle provide scalable computing power, there is no guarantee that they will remain available in times of geopolitical pressure. Ukraine must gradually transition to local SaaS solutions to secure its military digital backbone and ensure long-term operational security.
Cyber warfare is an ongoing battlefield. It is crucial to understand that no system is invulnerable — any network can be breached, disrupted, or manipulated. Security is not a static state but a continuous process that must be embedded from the moment a system is conceptualized. Cyber resilience is not just about investing in high-tech monitoring centers but about fostering a cybersecurity culture at the national level. Neglecting cybersecurity principles — whether intentionally or due to a lack of awareness — creates national vulnerabilities that adversaries can exploit.
In the digital domain, information is a weapon. Poorly protected centralized data flows pose enormous risks, just like stockpiles of ammunition stored in a single location. Spreading out military resources minimizes the enemy’s ability to inflict damage. The same principle applies to data protection — decentralization and redundancy reduce the risks of catastrophic breaches.
Ukraine has become a leader in cyber warfare, but true cyber operations should remain undisclosed. Publicized attacks, such as DDoS strikes or website defacements, often serve more as populist gestures than strategic military actions. While they may cause temporary disruption, they also train the enemy to strengthen their defenses. Effective cyber operations require long-term intelligence gathering, precise targeting, and coordinated execution, rather than unsynchronized actions that may interfere with ongoing cyber espionage or intelligence-gathering efforts.
Ukraine’s digital transformation has redefined warfare. From drones and automated battlefield systems to cyber operations and AI-driven decision-making, technology is shifting the balance of power. The integration of real-time reconnaissance, secure digital communication, and cyber resilience allows Ukrainian forces to gain asymmetric advantages over the enemy. In modern war, technological superiority is as critical as firepower.
Ukraine is working on strengthening its cyber resilience through legislative measures, including Bill 11290, which aims to establish a national cybersecurity response system. Nonetheless, the country must continue to develop indigenous cybersecurity solutions to reduce dependency on foreign digital infrastructure.
The cyber front extends to misinformation battles on social media as well, where Ukrainian agencies and volunteers have worked tirelessly to counter Russian propaganda and keep global public opinion on Ukraine’s side. All told, Ukraine’s ability to fight in cyberspace – through official cyber command units and civilian hacker volunteers – has been a crucial part of leveling the playing field against a larger adversary.
Of course, the digital war is not one-sided. Ukraine has had to bolster its own information security and critical systems against relentless Russian cyber onslaughts. Daily attempts to breach government networks, deface Ukrainian news sites, or disrupt energy distribution have largely been foiled. Key to this success is a proactive cybersecurity strategy and international support. Companies like Microsoft and Cisco have aided Ukraine in monitoring threats and patching vulnerabilities, while the EU and U.S. have provided incident response expertise. The result is that Russia’s much-feared “cyber warfare” has achieved limited impact on Ukraine’s war effort (All Quiet on the Cyber Front? Explaining Russia’s Limited … – RUSI). In a conflict filled with drones and precision weapons, a parallel invisible war of bytes and bits rages on – and Ukraine has so far managed to stay one step ahead through a combination of technical savvy, global partnerships, and the sheer will of its IT soldiers.
How Volunteers and Startups Are Shaping the Army
One remarkable example is the “Army of Drones” movement, which began as a crowdfunded campaign and evolved into a government-backed program integrating civilian tech know-how. Launched jointly by the Ministry of Digital Transformation, the General Staff, and volunteer groups, this initiative called upon companies and individuals to donate drones or funds. Within months, Ukrainian volunteers had effectively built a “startup ecosystem” for drones. Students, garage tinkerers, and professional engineers across Ukraine started assembling FPV drones en masse, guided by military feedback from the front. “Drones are our eyes,” explains Yehor Firsov, a former MP who joined the army’s UAV unit, noting that the course of the war was dynamically changing with drones becoming ever more important each month. The Army of Drones program, now bolstered by ₴40 billion in state funding for 2023, works hand-in-hand with over a hundred private Ukrainian drone producers. It has contracted everything the local market can offer – small quadcopters, mid-size recon drones, even sophisticated combat models – essentially guaranteeing a buyer for any Ukrainian-built UAV that meets battlefield needs. This tight-knit public-private partnership means new designs can be tested at the front within weeks, iterated upon, and scaled up rapidly. In effect, Ukraine turned itself into a “super laboratory” of drone warfare innovation in real time.
Beyond drones, a myriad of Ukrainian startups are delivering novel military solutions. Companies specializing in artificial intelligence, encryption, robotics, and aerospace have redirected their products toward the war effort. Tech entrepreneurs who once built e-commerce apps are now developing apps for soldiers to request air support or map minefields. Small factories equipped with 3D-printers produce spare parts for Western weapons and even pieces of body armor. One startup is launching clusters of microsatellites to improve reconnaissance. Another has made AI software that analyzes satellite imagery to predict enemy movements. Ukraine’s famed IT sector – previously known for outsourcing and fintech – has largely refocused on defense tech. The result is an unprecedented blending of civilian innovation and military necessity.
Oleksandr Yavtushenko, Advisor to the Governor of Kyiv Region and Founder of Marius Consulting GR Agency for Miltech Startups, emphasizes the significance of this ecosystem:
Ukraine’s technological revolution is fueled by a unique synergy between the military, startups, and volunteers. This combination is reshaping the future of warfare, proving that adaptability and innovation can outmatch brute force. Today, we have reliable partners with whom we have developed highly effective drones, ready for deployment across brigades and for export as soon as the conditions allow. Our ability to integrate cutting-edge technologies with real-time battlefield needs gives us an asymmetric advantage over the enemy, forcing them into a reactive position. This is not just about drones or AI; it is about a complete shift in how wars are fought and won in the 21st century.
Volunteer groups have also filled gaps in procurement by acting with agility that big institutions lack. Early in the war, as global donations poured into Ukraine, volunteer networks like the Serhiy Prytula Foundation and Come Back Alive fund went on literal shopping sprees for defense items. They bought drones by the dozen, thermal scopes, communications gear, even pickup trucks for frontline units. These efforts often equipped brigades faster than the official bureaucracy could. In one high-profile campaign, Ukrainians crowd-funded enough money to purchase three Bayraktar TB2 drones from Turkey – only for the manufacturer to donate the drones for free, acknowledging the passionate support of Ukraine’s people. The surplus funds were then redirected to buy the satellite mentioned earlier (Ukraine’s ‘people’s satellite’ wreaks havoc on Russian targets – POLITICO). This “people’s Bayraktar” episode showcased how volunteers can drive strategic acquisitions. Likewise, when Ukraine’s soldiers needed secure radios, volunteer engineers designed an encrypted communication app that could run on ordinary smartphones, providing a stopgap until more NATO-grade radios arrived.
On the manufacturing side, some volunteers literally built arms factories in their garages. Kseniia Kalmus, Founder of Klyn Drones for instance, was a florist before the war; today she runs a drone workshop in Kyiv that pumps out FPV drones for the front lines. “Friends who know me from the time I was a florist say this workshop looks very similar,” Kalmus says, surrounded by humming soldering irons and piles of drone parts (Ukraine ready to fight on alone as US turns its back on Kyiv). Her story is emblematic of a broader phenomenon: teachers, artists, taxi drivers – people from all walks of life – have learned to build or operate drones, write code for the army, or train as aerial reconnaissance experts. This volunteer-technologist army works closely with Ukraine’s soldiers. Frontline units share feedback with drone makers about what designs work or fail, creating a fast innovation cycle. Civilians with no prior military experience have effectively become weapons developers and tactical analysts overnight. The Ukrainian military, for its part, has embraced this input, setting up channels to interface with private developers and even hosting “hackathons” to solve battlefield tech problems. The traditional wall between the armed forces and civilian techies has crumbled in Ukraine, to great effect.
Kseniia Kalmus explains the evolving role of FPV drones:
We are now testing an FPV drone modification equipped with a double-barreled shotgun to hunt down enemy reconnaissance drones. Russian Mavic UAVs constantly attempt to locate our positions, but this innovation gives us a new way to counter them.
The synergy of volunteers, startups, and the formal army has not only provided material aid but also shaped how Ukraine fights. Big data and AI from civilian experts help generals make informed decisions. Locally developed secure messaging platforms connect regular troops with volunteer drone pilots acting as forward observers. Even Ukraine’s information warfare – memes and social media campaigns – is largely driven by online volunteers (exemplified by movements like NAFO, the North Atlantic Fellas Organization, trolling Russian propaganda) (Ukrainian propaganda during Russian invasion of Ukraine – Wikipedia). By democratizing the war effort, Ukraine has tapped into a wellspring of creativity and commitment that may have caught the Russian military off guard. This “whole-of-society” defense model is now a subject of study for military theorists. Future conflicts, observers note, may well be decided not just by professional armies, but by the nimble contributions of patriotic software engineers, drone hobbyists, and citizen hackers rallying to their nation’s cause.
Conclusion
Ukraine has transformed itself into a global trailblazer in the use of drones and military technology under fire. In the process, it has demonstrated that a technologically savvy David can hold its own against a Goliath. The war sparked a rapid militarization of innovation in Ukraine – the army, startups, and volunteer groups coalescing into one giant R&D department for new-age warfare. Combat tactics have evolved in real time: quadcopters and AI analysis are as critical as tanks and artillery. This unprecedented tech revolution in the armed forces is redefining combined arms strategy; cheap drones and clever code now regularly trump expensive hardware. As one Ukrainian soldier quipped, “Detect, destroy, repeat,” describing how FPV drones relentlessly hunt down Russian artillery (How Starlink Keeps Ukraine’s Military Online and Ahead in Battle | UNITED24 Media). That mantra, powered by Ukrainian ingenuity, may well reverberate in military academies worldwide.
The implications of Ukraine’s experience extend far beyond its battlefields. Military innovators around the world are watching closely as Ukraine pioneers concepts like mass drone integration, crowdsourced intelligence, and cyber-enabled guerrilla tactics. NATO officials have called Ukraine a “live laboratory” for modern warfare, one where the West’s donated weapons are meshing with Eastern Europe’s tech talent in unforeseen ways. Lessons learned here – from defeating drones with electronic tricks to leveraging satellites for real-time targeting – will shape defense planning for years to come. Ukraine’s successes also serve as a powerful reminder that supporting a nation under attack with not just weapons but technology and know-how can decisively bolster global security. Every drone or AI tool Ukraine perfects now is one less that authoritarian aggressors can use unchecked. In essence, helping Ukraine’s military tech ecosystem thrive is an investment in the free world’s collective defense.
Nearly three years into this conflict, Ukraine has turned what could have been a fatal weakness – its lesser size and resources – into a strength by being smarter and faster. The marriage of startups, volunteers, and the military has created an agile fighting force unlike any seen before. And it has done so while retaining democratic accountability, as Ukrainians from all walks of life directly contribute to the war effort’s direction. This synergy is changing warfare’s face, making it more networked and people-powered. As Ukraine continues to innovate under pressure, it carries not only its own hopes for victory but also invaluable knowledge for allies. The country’s brave experiment in high-tech, crowd-sourced defense may well become a blueprint for how a 21st-century military can prevail against the odds.
The international community, for its part, should recognize that supporting Ukraine’s drive for military innovation is about more than aiding in one war – it is about reinforcing a new paradigm of security. Drones, AI, and digital unity have helped keep Ukraine free. If embraced broadly, these same tools and approaches can help safeguard any nation facing aggression. Ukraine has shown the world a glimpse of warfare’s future. It is now up to the world to support and learn from Ukraine, ensuring that this new model – where technology and teamwork triumph over tyranny – becomes the norm, and thus bolsters global security for generations to come.
Oleksandr Yavtushenko
