Entering 2025, with the changing battlefield dynamics of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and the adjustment of the U.S. Trump administration's policy toward the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, a major new change has occurred on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict battlefield: unmanned attack and defense has become the new normal on the battlefield.On January 1, 2025, the Russian Ministry of Defense issued a war report stating that the Russian army had used high-precision weapons and attack drones to carry out cluster strikes on the infrastructure of a Ukrainian military airfield and a military industrial complex that produces gunpowder for Ukraine's armed forces. Armed Forces in a cluster strike against a military-industrial complex that produces gunpowder for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Ukraine claims that Russia launched a rare drone airstrike on the center of Kiev within the first hours of stepping into 2025. The Ukrainian Air Force informed on January 1, 2025 that since the evening of December 31, 2024, Russian forces launched 111 drones into Ukraine, of which 63 were shot down by Ukrainian air defense forces. This move indicates that the priority target of the Russian strikes will be the Ukrainian unmanned weapons production line as a way to weaken the operational capabilities of the Ukrainian unmanned weapons systems. Russia's Defense Ministry said on January 1, 2025 that Russian air defense forces shot down more than thirty Ukrainian drones over Belgorod, Kursk, Voronezh, Bryansk and Rostov oblasts on the night of January 1st. Temporary control measures were implemented at Kaluga, Saransk, Penza and Saratov airports, the Russian Air Transport Agency said.

Currently, Ukraine has an Unmanned Weapon Systems (UWS) force in addition to the Army, National Guard, Navy and Air Force. This unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) force also trains personnel to manage the production of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned surface vessels (USVs) as well as the development of new or improved models.2024 On December 31st , Ukrainian President Zelensky posted on his official social media platforms that his country has now found a number of solutions for defense against Russia. Outside speculation suggests that it is that Ukraine will commit unmanned systems units to defend against Russian offensive operations, reducing casualties and solving the operational crisis of insufficient troops and ammunition.

I. Changes in the battlefield dynamics of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in the second half of 2024 and the results of the war between the two sides

On December 31, 2024, AFP reported an analysis of data from the U.S. Institute for the Study of War's Russian-Ukrainian conflict, which showed that Russian forces advanced about 4,000 square kilometers in Ukraine in 2024, seven times as much as in 2023. According to the report, most of Russia's gains in 2024 were made in the fall, with Russian forces capturing 610 square kilometers and 725 square kilometers in October and November, respectively. In these two months, the area of land captured by Russian forces was the highest since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in March 2022.The Russian advance slowed down in December 2024, with a 465-square-kilometer advance, but this was already nearly four times as much as in December 2023, and two and a half times as much as in December 2022, the report said.

Since December 2024, the West has continued to step up its military support for Ukraine, easing restrictions on Ukraine's use of Western weapons.2024 On December 30, the Biden administration in the United States announced nearly $6 billion worth of military and budgetary assistance to Ukraine, hoping to support Kiev in time for Trump's inauguration in January 2025.2025 The Russians have responded with a new version of their nuclear deterrence policy and have used Hazelnut hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missiles against Ukrainian targets in actual combat. Russia has responded with a new version of its nuclear deterrence policy and has used its Hazelnut hypersonic medium-range ballistic missiles against Ukrainian targets in combat, and both sides have been engaged in intense offensive and defensive operations.

On December 29, 2024 the Russian Ministry of Defense informed that over the past day Russian forces took control of a settlement in the Donetsk region. Russian troops repelled several UAF attacks and launched multiple offensives in the direction of Kharkov, Avdeyevka, Donetsk, Zaporozhye, and Kherson, destroying several pieces of UAF equipment. Russian air defense forces shot down 61 UAF drones. On the same day, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine issued a war report stating that as of that afternoon, 133 battles had been fought in the frontline areas, and that the UAF had taken all the necessary measures to stop the Russian offensive and inflict losses on it. In addition, Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Sumy oblasts continued to be shelled by Russian forces. In the Kursk region, the UAF repelled 16 Russian attacks.

TASS reported on December 30, 2024 that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have withdrawn their main forces to the main defense line near the border of the Dnepropetrovsk region. TASS, citing relevant authorities, said that the Ukrainian army has moved its forces to areas such as the Nadezhdinka settlement and is urgently constructing a defensive line. On December 27, 2024, Rossiyskaya Gazeta reported that a Ukrainian soldier said that the Ukrainian army had been forced to retreat to its "last line of defense" in the Donetsk region, near the border of the Dnepropetrovsk region.

On December 30, 2024, the General Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, in conjunction with the "Tavriya" Special Operations Command, destroyed a Russian command post in the Zaporizhia region. According to the report, the General Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine detected a Russian command in Zaporozhye through aerial reconnaissance. The Tavriya forces then launched a missile attack on the target, which hit and damaged the Russian target, killing six people and seriously injuring three others.2024 On December 31, 2024, the Ukrainian Air Force informed that in 2024 the Ukrainian forces had shot down more than 1,300 Russian missiles of all types, 11,200 attack drones and 40 Russian warplanes. On the same day, Ukrainian scouts destroyed a Russian Mi-8 helicopter using a missile-carrying Magura V5 maritime drone boat. The U.S. military said it was the first time a maritime drone boat was used to shoot down an airborne target. Analysts say that in 2025, the operations of Ukrainian unmanned weapons systems units will become a major force in the defense of the Ukrainian army, especially after Ukrainian drone operations had succeeded in forcing the Russian command to recalibrate its main combat operations during the defensive campaign in western Donetsk at the end of 2024.

II. Ukraine's efforts to strengthen unmanned weapons systems force-building training and operational utilization

2024 Ukraine in accordance with the actual situation of insufficient ammunition and shortage of troops, on February 6, Ukrainian President Zelensky said in a video speech in the evening, he has signed the relevant decree, the Ukrainian army has established a new service called "unmanned systems". Behind this decision is the recognition of Ukraine's successful experience in the field of unmanned aerial combat, but also the strategic layout of the future needs of the battlefield. In signing the decree, Zelensky said that the development of drone technology provides us with new opportunities, which we must fully utilize in order to improve our combat capabilities.

A release from the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces states, "The Minister of Defense of Ukraine issued an order on June 10, 2024 appointing Colonel Vadim Sukhalevskyi as the Commander of the Unmanned Systems Troops of the Ukrainian Armed Forces." Earlier, it was reported that the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Aleksandr Serbsky, said he was working with Colonel Sukhalevsky to accelerate the implementation of "technologically innovative solutions." The appointment recognizes not only Sukharevsky's personal capabilities, but also his extensive experience in the field of drone warfare. Sukhalevsky's leadership will reinvigorate the development of Ukraine's unmanned combat systems forces, having excelled in a number of unmanned combat operations.

On June 11, 2024, the Ukrainian Unmanned Weapon Systems unit made its debut in Kiev. The debut not only showcased Ukraine's latest achievements in drone technology, but also sent a clear signal to the outside world that Ukraine is fully prepared in the field of drone warfare. At the debut ceremony, Ukraine displayed several types of drones, including the UJ-25 suicide drone, which is jet-powered, flies faster, and has greater surprise and defense capabilities.

Less than six months after its creation, the Ukrainian Unmanned Weapons Systems (UWS) unit is conducting operational use of the weapon in frontline combat units.2024 On December 16, the commander of the Ukrainian Unmanned Weapons Systems (UWS) unit said that Ukraine possesses a laser weapon that is capable of downing flying targets at an altitude of more than two kilometers. The laser weapon is named Tryzub, which means "trident" in Ukrainian. It is a symbol of the Ukrainian national emblem, indicating that the weapon is domestically produced. According to the report, Ukraine is already deploying a new Trident laser weapon capable of shooting down airplanes at altitudes of just over 1.2 miles, and is working to increase its range. In addition to the Trident laser, Ukraine is also developing a drone "mother plane" that carries two first-person view drones underneath, just one of many recently developed weapons. While few details are known about the type and characteristics of the Trident weapon, in April 2024 it was reported that the United Kingdom was planning to ship the first samples of the Dragonfire laser air defense system to Ukraine.

The "Dragonfire" laser air defense system was initially developed in 2018 by several British companies - European Missile Group UK, Leonardo Ltd. and Kenetik Inc. with a laser system of more than 50 kilowatts of power, which is still being tested. The UK has previously said that the Dragonfire laser air defense system could be used against Russian drones and is expected to be deployed in 2027.

Since United States President Biden allowed Kiev to use United States-made long-range weapons to launch attacks deep inside Russian territory, the fighting between the belligerents has escalated dramatically, and Ukraine has manufactured more Inferno drone missiles. Since the production of the Inferno drone missile, Ukraine has produced 100 of them. Ukrainian President Zelensky announced that his goal is to produce 1,000 of these missiles by 2025. "The Inferno drone missile is made by the domestic manufacturer Ukrainian Defense Industries and has a flight range of 700 kilometers and a speed of up to 700 kilometers per hour. It is one of many weapons being developed in Ukraine, including the Round Bread and Rue cruise missiles, and Kiev will continue to engage Russia with new weapons.

In the face of intensifying Russian offensives at the end of 2024, after a wrap-up session on the Ukrainian Army's battlefield performance in 2024, the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Aleksandr Serbsky, made a public statement that the Russian attacks posed a "difficult test," and that "in spite of this, we survived and continue to fight." The report said that due to the clear superiority of Russian forces, Kiev tried to preserve the lives of its own servicemen as long as possible, even if it meant withdrawing its troops again and again from areas where Russia held an overwhelming advantage. In order to conduct a defensive war with as few losses as possible, the Ukrainian army is banking on unmanned weapons systems, mainly drones. Compared to last year, the number of unmanned weapon systems supplied to our army this year has increased 19-fold," he said. The number of Russian targets they have hit and destroyed has increased 3.7 times. We are strengthening this extremely important component of our army, which is indispensable in the conditions of modern technological warfare."

Ukrainian President Zelensky 2024 spoke in the fall of 2024 about Ukraine producing more than one million drones. Ukraine is increasing its domestic production capacity. The Ukrainian government has taken a series of measures to encourage private companies to actively participate in drone production, including government grants and the elimination of taxes on drone components, and has attracted the participation of more than 200 private companies that manufacture drones, including as many as 10 companies that are producing drones capable of reaching Moscow and St. Petersburg, only one of which is state-owned, while the others are privately owned. All Ukrainian companies produce not only reconnaissance drones but also long-range attack drones, including long-range suicide drones with ranges of 300, 500, 700 and 1,000 kilometers, and in 2024 have begun mass-producing drones with ranges exceeding 1,000 kilometers, which are capable of striking enemy strategic targets at distances of more than 1,000 kilometers. Other types of UAVs are also being produced: the Shark UAV from Ukrspecsystems, which is small and light enough to be carried and launched by just a few people, has a range of 60-70 kilometers, a maximum loiter time of 4 hours, and a mission payload of 3 kilograms, and is primarily used to provide reconnaissance and calibration missions for artillery units; as well as the UJ-Shark UAV, which is designed to be used as a reconnaissance and calibration vehicle for artillery units, and the UJ-Shark UAV. There is also the UJ-22 "Sky" multi-purpose small drone, with a maximum take-off weight of 82 kg, capable of carrying a 20 kg mission payload, a cruising speed of 120 km/h, and a maximum ceiling of 6,000 meters.

Currently, Ukraine is diversifying its range of drones, from long-range kamikaze drones with ranges from 300 kilometers to 1,000 kilometers to small drones with stealth capabilities, Ukraine's range of drones has covered a wide range of operational requirements. These drones not only offer advantages in range, but also excel in speed, stealth and payload capacity.  In addition to drones, Ukraine is also banking on other unmanned weapons systems, such as robots equipped with machine guns.

Given that Russian forces are in a position of battlefield superiority, in 2025 Ukraine will extend basic training for unmanned weapons systems units. Ukraine reports that thousands of drones are already using AI systems to automatically fly to targets without human control, and that Ukraine is also using AI technology to assist in demining efforts within its territory. Ukraine is using millions of hours of battlefield video captured by drones during the Russian-Ukrainian conflict to train artificial intelligence (AI) models to learn battlefield decisions, Reuters reported on December 20, 2024. According to the report, Ukrainian nonprofit digital system OCHI has pooled and analyzed video taken from more than 15,000 frontline drone crews. The system, which has collected 2 million hours of drone battlefield video since 2022, was initially used to provide military commanders with an overview of the battlefield by displaying side-by-side on a single screen the footage received by all drone operators in the vicinity, the system's founder, Alexander Dmitriev, told Reuters. However, after the system became operational, its operations team has realized that the video coming back from drones could be a useful record of the war, so they have begun storing it, which will provide important learning data for training unmanned weapon system forces with AI systems in 2025. He said: "This is the food that feeds AI: if you want to train an AI model, give it 2 million hours of video footage and it will have extraordinary capabilities." According to Dmitriev, the videos can be used to train AI models to learn battlefield tactics, identify targets and assess the effectiveness of weapon systems.

Analysts believe that such a large database will be a very important resource for teaching AI systems to recognize what they are seeing and what actions they should take, allowing the AI to be trained to learn to recognize roads, natural obstacles and ambushes. In addition, Ukraine has another system called Avenger, developed by the Ministry of Defense, which is used to aggregate video captured by drones and closed-circuit cameras. Previously, the Ukrainian military said that Avenger had found an average of 12,000 pieces of Russian equipment per week using AI recognition tools.

The objective of the Ukrainian Unmanned Weapon Systems Unit is to increase the operational capability of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to enable them to use land-, sea- and air-based unmanned weapon systems more effectively. In order to achieve this goal, the UWSF will work in the following areas: continuously improve the performance of UAVs through technological innovations and improvements, so that they will have stronger advantages in speed, range, stealth and payload capacity; set up specialized UAV combat units to ensure that UAVs are able to maximize their effectiveness in a variety of combat environments; increase the training of UAV operators and technicians, and improve their professional skills and operational capabilities; develop a comprehensive and effective system of UWSF; and develop a comprehensive system of UWSF. Increase the training of UAV operators and technicians to improve their professional skills and combat capabilities; formulate perfect UAV use norms and processes to ensure that the use of UAVs is more systematic and efficient; and increase the production of UAVs to meet operational needs. The development and utilization of Ukrainian UAS combat units will undoubtedly have a profound impact on the Russian-Ukrainian war situation.

First, the widespread use of drones will significantly expand the combat range of the warring parties, allowing them to significantly expand their combat zones, and combat capabilities will no longer be limited by the range of bullets, but will depend on the distance and accessibility of drones. This will dramatically change battlefield dynamics and give Ukraine greater flexibility and initiative in certain areas.

Second, the combined use of drones and long-range artillery will further expand Ukraine's strike range and strike accuracy. The Ukrainian military's claim that they used a modified drone to shoot down a Russian A-50U early warning aircraft shows that Ukraine's breakthrough in drone technology has reached a new level. This increased capability will pose a threat to Russia's air superiority, forcing Russia to reassess its air defense strategy; air defense forces are too uneconomical and not always effective at hitting drones, and may turn to long-range strikes against Ukrainian military production lines, bases, and infrastructure producing unmanned weapons.

Finally, the creation of a Ukrainian drone force would also pose a serious threat to Russia's logistical supply lines and command and control systems. Ukrainian drones can launch attacks far from the front lines and carry out precision strikes against Russia's logistical bases, command centers, and important military facilities. This type of non-contact combat will put Russia under greater pressure on the battlefield, forcing it to disperse its forces and resources, thus weakening its overall combat power.

III. Russia's efforts to combat Ukrainian unmanned systems production capabilities while strengthening its own unmanned systems build-up

Following the Iranian Navy's announcement of its first unmanned aircraft division and Ukraine's establishment of its first new service of unmanned weapons combat units, Russian Defense Minister Belousov said at an expanded meeting of the Russian Ministry of Defense on December 16, 2024, that the formation of a new service, the Unmanned Systems Force, was proposed in accordance with the relevant instructions of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The formation is scheduled to be completed as early as the third quarter of 2025.

Some experts believe that Russian unmanned systems units are likely to be given a status similar to that of air defenses, and that their subordinate units will become an integral part of the army, the air and space forces and the navy; all unmanned systems used by the Russian army will be integrated into the unmanned systems units. One cannot rule out the possibility that in the future Russia will establish an overarching body responsible for the design, development, and testing of unmanned systems; that thousands of drones of the same model or series will be built to reduce the cost and price of the product, to guarantee large-scale use, to increase maintainability, and to improve the quality and speed of operator training; and that, since the development of Russian drones of various ranges and uses is still in a state of fragmentation the emergence of a new service will help to coordinate the development of various unmanned systems, link their operational use, and correlate them with other military services.

With the continuous development of drone technology, drone warfare will become an important part of future warfare, and the active exploration and practice of Russia and Ukraine in this area will provide valuable insights into the experience of other countries.