You Cannot Hide from Drones

In modern warfare, it does not matter if it is day or night, clear or foggy. In Ukraine, the combat zone stretches several kilometres behind the front, driven by drones and missiles. At the Army Museum in Stockholm (capital of Sweden), representatives from Defence Robotics UA explain why technological superiority is now a matter of survival, for Ukraine and for Europe.

The time is just after 17:00, and darkness has already settled over Stockholm. Outside the Army Museum, combat vehicles are lined up in the courtyard, including the Stridsvagn 103, still, intact, and out of service. Thoughts drift to Kyiv, where destroyed Russian armoured vehicles were displayed on the city's streets in the spring of 2022. There, the vehicles were not museum pieces, but contemporary steel fossils marking a failed invasion of the country's capital.

Here, in Sweden's capital, they remain as untouched history. In Ukraine, they are daily taken out by anti-tank weapons and drones. It is the latter that has brought us here tonight.

On the fourth floor of the main building of the Army Museum, the flow of people has started to increase. At 17:30, representatives from the organisation Defence Robotics UA and the volunteer battalion Da Vinci Wolves will take the stage to share lessons from the front and explain how robots and drones have quickly changed the logic of war. Before that, NDS meets Oleksandr Yabchanka and Vasyl Arbuzov, both co-founders of the organisation, for an interview.

Defence Robotics UA is a Ukrainian non-profit organisation and think tank working to accelerate the robotisation of Ukraine's armed forces. The organisation was founded just over a year ago by, among others, Oleksandr and Vasyl, together with several experts. The background was a shared vision of the future; without a rapid and systematic scaling up of unmanned systems, Ukraine will struggle to win the war.

The concept of the front line has changed since the full-scale invasion began. Instead, today we speak of "kill zones". The front line remains, but you do not need to be at the actual line of combat to be in danger. Up to 25 kilometres behind it is still considered a combat zone.

The reason is spelled drones.

– It does not matter if it is day or night, if it is clear or foggy. You cannot hide from drones, says Oleksandr Yabchanka, head of robotic systems in Da Vinci Wolves and co-founder of Defence Robotics UA.

The organisation's work spans several areas. Defence Robotics UA functions as a bridge between frontline units, technology manufacturers, and military experts. They also produce policy documents and recommendations for, among others, the Ministry of Defence on how the Ukrainian army can scale up the use of unmanned systems and robotic solutions at the front.

– When we started, there were very few actors driving this issue strategically, especially at the policy level, says Vasyl Arbuzov.

At that time, he was a civilian but saw both a clear need and an opportunity to contribute. The work began on a small scale, with advocacy trips around Europe. There they met decision-makers, experts, and potential partners, while building networks in Ukraine. The initiative quickly gained attention.

– We were early in proposing concrete policy on robotisation and drone use. This meant that our perspectives gained traction. Today, we consult both the army's general staff and several frontline units, says Vasyl.

One of those who early on saw the need for external expertise was Oleksandr. His mission has since fundamentally changed. From focusing on building effective robotic systems within his own battalion, he now works on a much larger scale.

– My mission then was to make the systems work locally. Today, it is about implementing robotic solutions in five other brigades. We must become the first army to do this fully and systematically, not just in a few selected units.

Unmanned ground vehicles, UGVs, have become a central tool along the Ukrainian combat zone, especially within Oleksandr's unit. They have emerged as a response to the massive drone presence, which has greatly complicated both logistics and evacuations. Tasks previously performed by soldiers, with extreme risk, have instead been handed over to vehicles.

However, during the winter, their use has drastically decreased.

– This winter, the risk has been one hundred percent that the vehicles are hit and taken out, says Oleksandr.

This can be explained by the fact that drone production has been significantly scaled up, alongside constant development of tactics and application.

Scalability is also central to Defence Robotics UA's long-term ambitions.

– Since we were early, we now have both the opportunity and the responsibility to scale up and spread knowledge, systems, and working methods to more units within the armed forces, says Vasyl.

Oleksandr describes Ukraine as a country characterised by horizontal structures, close personal contacts, and rapid informal collaborations. At the same time, the state's role is crucial for scaling up in practice, both in terms of personnel and materiel.

– We contribute with expertise, advice, and clear guidelines, while the state has gradually begun to take greater responsibility. This is how the work has now been able to grow.

The cooperation with industry is close. Already around 2014–2015, they began raising funds to support local companies at the forefront of drone development.

– Two of them started in garages and are today two of Ukraine's largest players in their field, says Oleksandr.

Vasyl continues:

– This started as pure garage initiatives. People who together tried to understand what the next step in military development should be. Already when the war broke out in 2014, many began thinking along these lines. It was there that the foundation was laid for what we now see emerging on a larger scale.

When the conversation shifts to collaborations outside the country's borders, the tone is clear.

– We are eager to expand our cooperation with all actors who can produce materiel, equipment, and technical solutions that strengthen our collective security.

Oleksandr holds up two fingers in the air.

– We have two goals. One is to scale up faster than Russia. The other is to share our experiences with Europe and the European armed forces. Russia continuously gathers experience because they are at war and learn through combat.

The murmur in the adjacent room increases. The time approaches 17:30, and the duo is in a hurry to proceed with the presentation. Afterwards, they need to catch a ferry later that evening to return to Ukraine. Before they rush off, Oleksandr summarises the situation with a warning to the rest of the continent:

– European armies are not participating in the war, and their operational capability has therefore largely stood still since 2022. Ukraine and Russia, on the other hand, have been forced to develop their systems in real-time, through the war.