'We assessed your attempt' — top Ukrainian drone commander hints Russia tried to strike multiple unit leaders at once
Ukraine's top drone warfare commander, Robert "Madyar" Brovdi, has hinted that Russia attempted a coordinated strike targeting multiple Ukrainian drone unit leaders, according to a Telegram post on July 26.
Brovdi, commander of the Armed Forces' Unmanned Systems Forces (USF), made the revelation after holding a strategy meeting with commanders from five of Ukraine's strongest drone units: Phoenix, K-2, Madyar's Birds, Raroh, and Achilles.
"We assessed your attempt yesterday to hit all of us at once," Brovdi said in the Telegram post, without offering further details. The post ended with a string of insults aimed at the Russian forces behind the alleged attack.
Drones have played an increasingly decisive role in Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with both sides relying heavily on unmanned systems for surveillance, artillery spotting, and targeted strikes.
Ukraine formalized its drone efforts into a centralized command structure in 2024, creating USF as a separate branch of Ukraine's military in June 2024. A year later, Kyiv created a separate new command group that united the branch with other top drone units.
The new formation united all military units of the USF with the Drone Line, a project launched by President Volodymyr Zelensky in February this year to coordinate and expand five of the country's strongest drone units.
Brovdi was appointed to lead the command group.
Russia has not publicly commented on any attempted strike against Ukrainian drone leaders. The Ukrainian military has not provided further details about the incident.
