Orphans from Ukraine offered for adoption in Russia: “These acts constitute crimes against humanity” “The reality always guides the technology” “Data analysis geo-located indicates that Ukrainian forces carried out 42 medium-range strikes in January 2026, 61 in February and 115 in March, targeting widely Russian forces in the east and south of Ukraine,” said the American think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) on Friday. “This disrupts Russian offensive preparations […] Contrary to the Kremlin’s statements, not only are Russian troops losing ground on several battlefields, but recent technological innovations on Ukrainian drones have given Ukraine the advantage.”
“The X factor highlights less technological advancements in the strict sense, than how it is used,” commented Ukrainian researcher Bohdan Kostiuk to La Libre. “It is the reality of war that imposes innovation in combat.” Analyst at the French think tank Eastern Circles, this expert in defense technologies co-wrote “Mapping the TechMil War: Eight Lessons from the Ukrainian Battlefield.” Published in February, the document identifies key technological innovations that have emerged from the conflict in Ukraine, and their impact on modern warfare.
“No difference with a slave market”: a website allows adopting Ukrainian children in occupied regions based on their appearance “The drone, farther, higher, stronger” According to Bohdan Kostiuk and his co-authors, the drone war between the two sides has undergone eight phases of technological evolution between 2022 and 2026. “From the beginning of spring 2022, the use by the Ukrainian military of commercial drones like DJI Mavic revolutionized visibility on the battlefield by detecting the presence of Russian columns up to 10 km away […] Russia responded by widely deploying electronic jamming systems mounted on trucks with a range exceeding 10 km. FPV drones (First Person View) were then introduced at the beginning of 2023, with the ability to conduct strikes. This led to a race in electronic warfare means and the appearance of diverse, lightweight, and personalized jamming tools.” But in 2024, the study continued, “drones commanded via thin fiber optic cables 5 km to 15 km long or even longer, and thus totally undetectable on the waves” once again changed the game.
According to the deputy chief of staff to the Ukrainian president, Pavlo Palisa, 32% of Ukrainian drones now use fiber optics, compared to 24% of Russian drones, which explains, among other things, their greater efficiency.
“In addition to that, drones from each side have also increased in capability (distance and payload) and are now capable of carrying explosives from 20 kg to 40 kg,” the study further noted. “Artificial intelligence and Machine learning have also been integrated in 2025 to accelerate the identification of certain targets and to conduct combat between drones.” The priority now is to “strengthen the use of AI in data collection, analysis, and exploitation.”
Agricultural lands in Ukraine prisoner of mines: “There were artillery shells, it’s terrifying” “First 100% robotic capture” In four years, drone production has increased from a few thousand to several million per year, and the total share of aerial drone victims skyrocketed to 70-80% in 2025 from 10% in 2022. Kiev has also taken the lead in the development of maritime drones (USV’s). Not enough to claim naval superiority, but to compensate for the absence of a military fleet and push back a far better-equipped enemy.
The development of ground drones (Unmanned Ground Vehicles or UVG’s), still experimental, is now at the center of concerns. These UVG’s are currently performing supply, demining, evacuation, and strike missions but still suffer from excessive vulnerability to aerial drones. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, however, congratulated himself on Monday for the first time taking a Russian position with aerial and ground robotic systems.
“For the first time in the history of this war, an enemy position was taken using exclusively unmanned systems,” he declared. “The occupants (Russians) surrendered after an operation carried out without infantry and without any loss on our side.” According to Volodymyr Zelensky, ground robotic systems have carried out more than 22,000 missions on the front line since the beginning of the year. “Many Ukrainian companies are now focusing on UVG’s,” confirmed Bohdan Kostiuk. “The lethality of the battlefield makes their use increasingly essential.”
Will drones, no matter what, definitively replace aircraft, ships, and combat tanks? “No,” he replied without hesitation. “You will never be able to do with a drone what you do with a ballistic missile, a fighter jet. It’s contextual and complementary.”
“We do this to defend ourselves and destroy the enemy”: demining, Ukraine’s invisible front “More Machine learning than AI” In the Russo-Ukrainian conflict, artificial intelligence is primarily used to “automate, accelerate, and facilitate operations,” according to Eastern Circles. Drones are not autonomous but semi-autonomous.
“People often confuse artificial intelligence and Machine learning,” commented Bohdan Kostiuk. “Entering coordinates into a drone and automating it subsequently with a certain degree of autonomy is machine learning and is very common in Ukraine. AI is more used to allow an operator to control multiple drones simultaneously, but it is still in development, as is facial recognition. We are still far from what the Israeli army uses in Gaza where AI defines hundreds of targets in seconds and plays a crucial decision-making role that raises many ethical questions.”
“Only the use of nuclear weapons can still help us”: in Russia, the people no longer believe in victory against Ukraine
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