Ukrainian military responds to commander’s claim of no state-supplied FPV drones for 3rd Brigade

Ukraine’s Armed Forces responded to recent comments by Andrii Biletskyi, commander of the 3rd Army Corps, who claimed that the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade had not received any state-supplied (first-person-view) FPV drones for three months, Babel reported on June 2.

The 3rd Brigade, which formed the basis for the formation of the 3rd Army Corps, is seen as one of the most battle-hardened Ukrainian units. Many of its members include Azov veterans.

In a written response to a request from Babel, the Armed Forces of Ukraine said the brigade had received a total of 7,992 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) of various types between Jan. 1 and May 27. The military did not clarify whether that number included FPV drones.

According to the military's logistics service, units are provided with a list of available equipment and may select what they need. All requests submitted by the 3rd Assault Brigade were reportedly fulfilled.

The brigade must submit a separate request to the Defense Ministry for targeted funding if it requires a specific modification that is not in stock, the response read.

That was the case in May, when the 3rd Assault Brigade received funds for procurement, the logistics department told Babel. In total, the state reportedly allocated Hr 151.5 million (about $3.6 million) to the brigade in 2025 for drone purchases. As of May 28, 57% of those funds had been spent.

Biletskyi made his comments in an interview published May 11 with journalist Yurii Butusov.

"I'd like to 'thank' the Defense Ministry — for three months, the 3rd Assault Brigade did not receive a single FPV drone," Biletskyi said.

"We were severely lacking (the drones,) " he added. "Without the FPVs supplied by the state, we really dried out during these three months, because the front line is huge."

Biletskyi also said the supply flow of drones to his unit has fluctuated. "In some periods, we received 30–40% of what was needed, and that mattered."

Drones have proven especially effective during Ukraine's full-scale war with Russia, with both sides using them extensively on the front lines and for strikes beyond the battlefield.

Ultimate guide on how drones changed warfare in Ukraine

The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrel provides an ultimate guide on how drones have changed the warfare in Ukraine — starting with an embed with a drone unit of the National Guard’s 14th Chervona Kalyna Brigade and providing even more insights with a step-by-step simulation on how fighting for an average village in Ukraine looks like now, three years into Russia’s full-scale invasion.

The Kyiv IndependentFrancis Farrell