Ukraine’s “Army of Drones” initiative has destroyed a record amount of Russian artillery over the past week

Ukraine's Digital Minister Mykhailo Fedorov reports that the "Army of Drones" initiative has destroyed a record number of Russian artillery over the past week.

The initiative has already trained 10,000 drone operators, ready to perform any difficult tasks on Ukraine's frontline.

The Russians have lost 69 cannons and 17 self-propelled artillery systems. More damaged artillery means fewer shells at the positions of our military and frontline cities, Fedorov said in a statement.

The combat drone operators destroyed 220 pieces of Russian equipment, including 33 tanks, 41 trucks, and "even more."

The first companies of attack drones were formed as part of Ukrainian forces in March 2023 and approved by the AFU Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi.

The "Army of Drones" is a program for systematic drone production, repair, and maintenance. It also includes the prompt replacement of drones and pilot training. In August 2022, the first unmanned systems of various classes were delivered to the Ukrainian forces as part of this project.

The drones will carry out reconnaissance and strike missions. They will guide artillery, help soldiers to be as effective as possible during battles and save lives. The pickup trucks will be used for raids by mobile groups behind enemy lines, delivery of cargo and evacuation of the wounded. Starlink means uninterrupted communication on the battlefield. All this is our competitive advantage over the Russians, Fedorov noted.

Over the past year, the initiative has become a systemic state program, which is the main achievement, the minister adds.

In late July, the formed drone strike units destroyed 75 units of enemy equipment, including nine tanks, in a week. The initiative trained over 3,000 drone operators in the same month.