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Deputy chief commander of Ukraine's Armed Forces appointed commander of new Unmanned Systems Forces

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Deputy chief commander of Ukraine's Armed Forces appointed commander of new Unmanned Systems Forces
Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces Vadym Sukharevskyi at the "Ukraine. Year 2024" forum in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Feb. 25, 2024. (Courtesy: "Ukraine. Year 2024" forum)

Vadym Sukharevskyi, deputy commander-in-chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces, was appointed the commander of the newly-created Unmanned Systems Forces on June 10, the General Staff reported.

Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov signed the decree on June 10, the General Staff said.

President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree creating a separate branch of Ukraine's Armed Forces dedicated to drones on Feb. 6.

The Unmanned Systems Forces were created to improve Ukraine's work with drones, creating special drone-specific units, ramping up training, systemizing their use, increasing production, and pushing innovation.

As the deputy commander-in-chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces, Sukharevskyi was responsible for the unmanned systems and the development of their usage on Ukraine's battlefield.

Drones have been a key tool in Ukraine's defense against Russia's war. President Volodymyr Zelensky said in January that surpassing Russia in drone operations is one of the top priorities in 2024.

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Kateryna Hodunova

News Editor

Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

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 (Updated:  )

Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces said the strike on the oil refinery, located approximately 400 kilometers (250 miles) from where the Ukrainian drones were launched, was carried out by the 1st Separate Center of the Unmanned Systems Forces and the 414th Separate Brigade, known as "Madyar's Birds," along with other Ukrainian military units.

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