The secret of the success of the Ukrainian army. Ukrainian drones became a nightmare for the Russian army, says an Austrian expert
The secret of Ukraine's success against Russia, a bigger and stronger enemy, is its constantly growing drone, which has become a real nightmare for the Russian army, says Colonel Markus Reisner, head of the Teresian Military Academy, according to Ukrinform.
“Russian invaders do not face tens of thousands of soldiers, but hundreds of thousands of drones ”, He says, explaining that Ukraine uses FPV drones at the tactical level, medium -range drones and long -range drones at strategic level.
The Ukrainian forces have won a struggle “thanks to the constant financing and decentralized production” that allow continuous supply with new types of drones.
The development of a network of drone production at national level makes “extremely difficult, if not impossible” for Russian invaders to destroy it.
“Despite the massive attacks on the critical infrastructure and the Ukraine's industrial defense complex, drone production continues to increase both qualitatively and quantitatively. This is a major problem, if not a nightmare, for Russian invaders,” added the Austrian military expert.
An asymmetrical war in the detriment of Russia
The Ukraine war is a “classic asymmetrical war” in which Ukraine is the smaller but “more flexible and more technologically innovative.”
“Ukraine has achieved impressive results in this regard and continues to make progress by integrating Western technologies and flexible adaptation to the constantly changing dynamics, especially in counteracting Russian maneuver and use of drones.”he said.
An example of asymmetrical actions and tactical flexibility that Ukraine has shown is the successful use of maritime drones against the Russian fleet from the Black Sea.
“Classic factors such as strength, space, time and information remain crucial in this war. Victory will be those who can use advanced weapons systems to tilt these factors in their favor.
An excellent example is the success of Ukraine in the use of high -speed and long -range surface drones, with real -time situational awareness provided by the West (information), to push the Russian Fleet from the Black Sea (space) in just a few months (time). This is an undeniable success, and Russia has not yet found an effective response. ”
Attacks on Russia's territory
Another tool that gives Ukraine an advantage in the asymmetrical war is long -range drones, as the Spiderweb operation has shown.
“With Western support, Ukraine has built a significant arsenal of long -range drones, allowing attacks not only on the first line targets, but also on military installations inside Russia. The most striking example is the attack and destruction of a significant number of Russian strategic bombers at the beginning of June 2025.”
Drones with artificial intelligence change the course of war
Also, the use of artificial intelligence (Ia) is “another decisive factor in the war,” according to the expert.
“It changes the course of hostilities. We already see drones operating in swarms, sharing data between them. The fully autonomous interaction is only a matter of time. It is also used to process satellite and air images, significantly reducing the detection-attack cycle, improving accuracy and accelerating decisions.”
For example, “Ukraine uses artificial intelligence to increase the efficiency of the weapons provided by the West, such as Himars and attack drones, allowing precise calculations of trajectory and targeting”
“The war between Russia and Ukraine is, in many respects, a testing ground for future wars, in which information technologies and digital confrontation will play a key role.”concluded the Austrian expert.
Bigger budget for drones
On July 31, President Volodimir Zelenski signed a law increasing the defense expenses, including for the production of drones. This provides for 412.3 billion additional grivne for the defense sector, of which 216 billion grivne are allocated for the purchase and production of weapons, military equipment and drones.
