Inside an elite Ukrainian drone unit: a special report | The Economist

Escalation of Russian Tactics in Ukraine

• Russia is intensifying strikes on Kyiv and frontline cities, targeting civilian infrastructure including nearly 250 petrol stations and warehouses.
• Russian forces are utilizing FPV (First Person View) drones in swarms to hunt civilians, a tactic described by Ukrainian commanders as "hunting with small drones in a series."
• The conflict zone has expanded significantly; areas that were safe 7 kilometers from the front line two years ago are now subject to drone strikes, even in cities.
• Russian strategy appears to target civilians specifically rather than military assets, with the intent to inflict psychological damage and force geopolitical leverage.

The Nemesis Brigade: A "Start-Up" Military Model

• The 412th Brigade of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces (Nemesis) operates as an elite unit with a flat, data-driven structure founded in late 2023 by civilian tech entrepreneurs.
• Deputy Commander Pavlo Latsionov and co-founder Oleksii Honcharuk (former Ukrainian Prime Minister) established a culture based on "honesty," a "result-oriented approach," and "creativity" to accelerate innovation.
• The brigade employs an "E-point system" leaderboard that tracks performance based on confirmed strikes (planes, troops, tanks), turning operational success into a competitive metric.
• The unit functions with a dedicated R&D group that tests and deploys new technologies, noting that the global innovation cycle changes every six months.

Technological Evolution and Readiness Levels (TRL)

• Ukraine operates almost exclusively with Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) of 7 or higher, prioritizing "good enough for battle" rapid-deployment prototypes over mature TRL-9 systems.
• Rapid obsolescence is critical; platforms like the Bayraktar drone, which was vital in the war's early months, have largely vanished from the battlefield due to swift enemy counter-measures.
• The innovation cycle is driven by U-Force, a London-based "mil-tech unicorn" co-founded by Honcharuk to attract venture capital and bridge the gap between Ukrainian engineering teams and global investors.

Future Warfare: Swarms and AI Integration

• Ukrainian commanders predict the imminent shift from human-operated drones to AI-coordinated swarms, where a single operator could manage groups of drones, increasing the scale of threats from dozens to thousands.
• Future Russian escalations may involve jet-engine platforms (like Shaheds) deploying swarms of FPV drones directly into Western capitals, acting as "terrorists with the scale of a government."
• The concept of the "battlefield" is collapsing; major European capitals like Warsaw, Berlin, and Kyiv are now within hours of a drone strike, rendering traditional rear-area safety obsolete.

Western Unpreparedness and Strategic Warnings

• Nemesis leadership asserts that Western militaries are "alarmingly unprepared" for a war defined by cheap, mass-produced unmanned systems rather than expensive, high-tech platforms.
• While NATO has conducted exercises with Ukrainian units, there is no general consensus among Western elites regarding the viability of current strategies against a "governmental-scale terrorist" threat.
• Russian aggression is viewed as a precursor to potential conflicts in Europe, with the fear that Putin believes a significant advantage allows for provoking small incidents (e.g., killing civilians) that NATO cannot answer with nuclear force but must answer with conventional means.

Recommendations for NATO and European Defense

• Create Unmanned Forces with New Cultures: Establish drone units led by unconventional, open-minded personnel rather than traditional military hierarchies.
• Integrate Local Industry: Partner with domestic private sectors, including non-military entities like pizza delivery companies and territorial defense units, to scale innovation and production.
• Redefine the Battlefield: Recognize that the war front extends to home cities and that response times must be significantly faster than historical precedents allow.

Psychological Impact on Operators

• Drone operators face unique psychological challenges from the detachment of killing via screen interfaces, which can initially suppress emotional responses.
• Commanders emphasize that a lack of fear or danger awareness is a critical warning sign ("super bad") requiring immediate rest and intervention.
• The "dystopian" nature of the war, dominated by data and screens rather than direct contact, is described as a reality that many Ukrainians fear Europe is not yet equipped to handle.