The Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) were responsible for every third Russian target hit in June, Commander in Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on July 9.
"Thus, in June, every third enemy target — out of all those hit by the Defense Forces of Ukraine — was on the account of the USF," Syrskyi said in a Telegram post.
Kyiv relies on drones to meet its defense needs, as supplies of other materiel fall short of providing necessary weapons and air defenses amid Russia's war. Ukraine has employed drone and robotic technologies on the battlefield in an effort to minimize troop losses and adapt to evolving threats.
"In total, over the previous month, the USF... hit more than 19.6 thousand targets, destroying 5,024. In particular, 88 Russian tanks, 129 armored personnel carriers, 427 artillery systems, 31 MLRS were neutralized," Syrskyi said.
Ukraine for the first time captured Russian troops without the use of infantry, relying solely on drones and ground-based robotic systems, the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade said on July 9.
"For the first time in history: Russian soldiers surrendered to the 3rd Assault Brigade's ground drones," the brigade's statement said.
The USF announced on June 20 the establishment of a new command group that will unite the branch with other top drone units in the country's military.
The new formation unites all military units of the USF with the Drone Line, a project launched by President Volodymyr Zelensky in February to coordinate and expand five of the country's strongest drone units.
The commander of Ukraine’s USF warned on July 4 that Russian Shahed drone strikes could escalate to 1,000 per day, prompting Ukraine to consider relocating drone production.
"Under the pressure of increasing mass use by the enemy of a cheap, but everywhere accessible Shahed... There will be 1,000 units (launched) per day and more," Robert "Magyar" Brovdi said in a social media post.
Ukraine has also sought to expand its own defense production abroad, reaching key agreements with allies in recent weeks.
Skyeton Prevail Solutions, a joint venture between Ukrainian drone manufacturer Skyeton and U.K.-based defense company Prevail Solutions, will manufacture and supply Raybird drones in the U.K., the two companies announced on July 2.
Skyeton, says its Raybird drone has over 350,000 flight hours and is responsible for billions of dollars in Russian losses.
On July 4, Copenhagen and Kyiv signed an agreement that allows Ukrainian defense companies to open production facilities in Denmark, Strategic Industries Minister Herman Smetanin said.
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