Unmanned Systems Forces Day in Ukraine Date in the current year: June 11, 2026

Ukraine became the first country in the world to dedicate a separate branch of the military to unmanned systems. This occurred during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine when it became clear that unmanned technologies play a key role in modern warfare, including enemy detection, reconnaissance, target acquisition, fire correction, and situational awareness on the battlefield.

The Ukrainian army initially used UAVs extensively due to a shortage of artillery shells. However, the country quickly began developing long-range strategic drones, enabling the Armed Forces to extend combat operations into enemy territory and strike military targets 1,500–2,000 km behind enemy lines. Drones are also widely used for logistical purposes, such as delivering supplies to positions that cannot be reached by ground vehicles and evacuating the wounded from the battlefield.

In February 2024, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a decree instructing the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Cabinet of Ministers to consider creating a separate branch of the military dedicated to unmanned systems. Colonel Volodymyr Sukharevsky was appointed to oversee the process. On June 10, 2024, he was officially appointed commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces (USF). The following day, the deployment of separate companies of ground-based unmanned systems began in some units.

Although the decree establishing the USF was officially signed on June 25, June 11 is considered its founding date. In September, the USF was designated as a separate branch of the armed forces. In June 2025, Major “Robert” Brovdi, lnown as the founder of the renowned Birds of Madyar unit that specializes in aerial reconnaissance and the use of UAVs, became commander of the USF.

The USF conducts combat operations using drones on land, at sea, and in the air. However, not all Ukrainian drones are under their command: the Navy, the Marine Corps, and the Air Force have their own UAV units, as do most brigades and units of the ground forces.

The USF’s responsibilities include supplying units with drones, providing technical support, recruiting and training specialists, and planning military operations using unmanned systems. They also interact with unmanned system developers, test new designs, and provide feedback. It was the USF that were the first in the Armed Forces of Ukraine to shoot down a Russian Shahed drone with an interceptor drone.

In 2026, the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Unmanned Systems Forces got their own professional holiday. USF Day highlights the USF’s historic role as the world’s first separate service branch dedicated to unmanned systems. Thanks to its innovative approach to conducting combat operations using unmanned and robotic systems, the USF was a true breakthrough for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.