Zelenskyy instructs to create Unmanned Systems Forces as part of Ukraine's Armed Forces

This is reported on the official website of the President of Ukraine.

The President instructed the Government, with the involvement of the General Staff, to work on the issue of creating the Unmanned Systems Forces as a separate type of force within the Armed Forces of Ukraine and to submit relevant proposals to the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.

In his evening address, Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the decision to create the Unmanned Systems Forces.

"I have just signed a decree that launches the creation of a separate kind of force in our Defense Forces - the Unmanned Systems Forces. And this is not a matter of the future - it is something that should yield a very concrete result in the near term. This year should be pivotal in many ways. And, obviously, on the battlefield," the president said. 

Zelenskyy emphasized that drones have proven to be effective in battles on the ground, in the sky, and at sea. Thanks to drones, Ukraine has changed the security situation in the Black Sea. Ukrainian Defense Forces are largely using them to repel assaults and target Russian equipment.

"Now the list of tasks is clear: special staff positions to work with drones, special units, effective training, systematization of experience, constant scaling of production and attraction of the best ideas and the best specialists in this area," Zelenskyy said.

He noted that this is a task for the army, the Ministry of Defense and the government as a whole. 

"And to ensure the necessary coordination in the Defense Forces, to ensure the proper level of planning and quality of logistics, the Unmanned Systems Forces will be established within the AFU. The relevant proposals will be submitted for consideration by the National Security and Defense Council," the president said.

• On January 31, it was reported that Ukrainian drone targeted St. Petersburg at night: the drone crashed into the territory of an oil refinery.
• On February 1, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said that the Defense Procurement Agency plans to sign contracts for hundreds of thousands of drones in 2024.
• On February 1, Ukrainian Armed Forces serviceman Serhiy Volkov spoke about the operation of the Vampire attack hexacopter, which Russian enemy calls Baba Yaga (character from Slavic folklore).