A video game-style drone war system has gone “viral” among Ukrainian troops, with soldiers competing for points that can be swapped for new weapons in an “Amazon-for-war” online store
A video game-style drone attack system in Ukraine is going viral among troops, letting soldiers earn points for successful strikes. The Army of Drones Bonus System, credited with killing or wounding 18,000 Russian soldiers in September alone, has sparked fierce competition.
Ukrainian officials report that under the “Army of Drones Bonus System”, which now involves 400 drone teams, up from 95 in August, soldiers compete for points that can be traded for new weapons in an “Amazon-for-war” online shop called Brave1, with the system credited for killing or injuring 18,000 Russian troops in September. The country’s first deputy prime minister, Mykhailo Fedorov told the Guardian that the system “has become truly popular among units” and is a clear example of warfare’s increasing automation.
He said: “All the defence forces know about this and there’s competition for the points, for getting these drones, electronic warfare systems and other things to help them in warfighting. The more infantry you kill, the more drones you get to kill more infantry.
“This is becoming kind of a self-reinforcing cycle.”
The number of Russian casualties in September was reportedly double that of last October, partly because Kyiv doubled the points for killing Russian infantry from six to 12, reflecting shifting battlefield priorities.
Ukraine is now expanding the points-for-kills approach to artillery, reconnaissance, and logistics, awarding points for successful missions, spotting enemy targets, and using autonomous vehicles for frontline resupply. Fedorov revealed that the military is also incentivising the use of AI-assisted drones for improved targeting, with reconnaissance units earning points for “Uber targeting”.
Fedorov said: “You basically drop a pin on the map like you would drop yourself on an Uber map for a taxi, but instead of the taxi a drone from another unit hits the target.” However, experts warn that NATO should be cautious about relying on drone warfare, as Russian defences are becoming better.
The Royal United Services Institute recently called for renewed focus on traditional artillery and aircraft. In addition to increasing the score for killing infantry, Ukraine now awards 25 points for killing an enemy drone operator and 120 points for capturing a Russian soldier with a drone, reflecting the need for prisoners to trade.
Fedorov said the Ukrainian cabinet agrees on the points’ values, but they are now “pretty much emotionless” about putting a price on human lives. “We’re at war for four years in a row, and it is hard,” he said.
He continued: “We’re just finding ways to be more effective. We’re thinking of this as just part of our everyday job.
“There’s little to no emotional reflection here. It feels like just technical work.
“Because if you don’t stop the enemy, he will kill your servicemen and after the servicemen are dead, he’s going to come to a city and he’s going to conquer, raze and kill civilians.”
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