Ukraine’s military commander in charge of the country’s drone warfare program urged the US and NATO countries alike on Wednesday to learn from Kyiv’s use of the technology on the battlefield so in the future there are not “hard questions from your children [about] when [their] father will come back.”
“We paid with lives to get this expertise,” Maj. Robert “Magyar” Brovdi, commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces of Ukraine, said during a panel discussion at the Association of the US Army’s meeting in Wiesbaden, Germany. “But you can get this expertise out of us, and we will support you the same way you’ve supported us during this war.”
Brovdi spoke at the AUSA conference alongside Brig. Gen. Volodymyr Horbatiuk, the deputy chief of the general staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. They repeatedly emphasized the importance of using drones in warfare. Horabiuk said it is “nearly impossible” to conduct the majority of their warfighting functions without drones, listing off examples of their use including for logistics on the battlefield and intercepting aerial threats, as well as striking assets deep inside Russia — something the world watched in June when Ukraine conducted a large-scale drone attack on Russian airbases thousands of miles from the front lines.
Brovdi and Horbatiuk’s comments come just two days after President Donald Trump vowed to send more air defenses to Ukraine, making a stark shift in his approach to the war as he has grown increasingly frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid efforts to reach a peace agreement. They also came hours after Russia launched a barrage of hundreds of drones towards four key regions in Ukraine, hitting multiple cities including the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Asked Wednesday what the audience at the conference should know about fighting against the Russians, Horbatiuk answered bluntly, “Don’t trust Russia.” The packed ballroom, full of NATO military and civilian defense industry officials, broke into laughter and applause. “Remember that any agreement with them doesn’t cost even the paper.”
Brovdi elaborated further on Wednesday, telling CNN that putting faith in Putin is “not respectful to yourself.”
Brovdi, who has a background in business, was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine in May this year. Speaking on Wednesday through a translator, he told the story of visiting a “huge” NATO military base in Europe roughly a year ago and being asked by his hosts what he thought about the base and its defenses.
“I answered the following, that four of my battle crews standing only 10km away from this base can destroy it fully in 15 minutes, it would look like Pearl Harbor during the second World War,” Brovdi said through his translator, adding that he didn’t mean it as a threat but as a warning about what could happen if drones were taken into the hands of terrorists.
According to an official release by the office of the president of Ukraine, Brovdi founded his drone reconnaissance team known as “Magyar’s Birds” in the spring of 2022, which has since grown to a full brigade. Brovdi told CNN on Wednesday that he began using drones because he and his troops, an infantry unit, were fired upon by tanks, artillery, “and we [could] not see anything, who was trying to kill us.” They began using drones for reconnaissance, to see who was firing on their position, and then began buying drones used typically for sports and gaming.
“We understood we could put a bit of ammunition on board, and we can deliver it with it,” he said through his translator. “And this is how it starts. It was 27 people, nowadays it’s much more than 2,000.”
According to the release from the office of the president, Brovdi and his unit — 95% of which he said were civilians before the war began, including DJs and artists — had destroyed more than 5,000 enemy targets, and hit more than 10,000 more. A Ukrainian military official later clarified the unit has detected 116,976 enemy targets and destroyed more than 54,500 of them, and killed more than 18,400 enemy personnel.
Brovdi told the audience at AUSA that this was only his second time leaving the country since the war began in 2022, and that he would be back on the battlefield by Thursday. He dryly quipped that “Putin’s propaganda named me as the most wanted enemy, so it [could] be the last time you see me, here.”
The two commanders thanked the countries present at the conference for their support of Ukraine and urged allies and partners to learn from Ukraine’s efforts. Horbatiuk expressed “from the bottom of [his] heart” the appreciation for support to Ukraine and dedication.
“I would like to ask you,” he said in a parting line, “to be more decisive.”
This story has been updated with additional details.
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