Ukraine, which at one time was ahead of Russia in the development of drones for military purposes, is now facing new challenges in this field. This was stated by volunteer Maria Berlinska, founder of the "Air Intelligence Support Center", on the air of the Vechir.LIVE program. In her opinion, the key problem is not only Russia's progress in this field, but also insufficient use of highly qualified Ukrainian specialists.
“We've maintained our lead through innovation in the use of drones, from Mavic to FPV drones and seaplanes. But the enemy quickly takes over our developments and scales them for their own needs," explained Berlinska.
Russia is actively implementing technologies developed by Ukrainians on its fronts, thereby reducing the gap in technological equipment. As a result, according to Berlinska, in some directions Russia was even able to overtake Ukraine, which jeopardizes the further effectiveness of Ukrainian troops in this area.
A special problem is the underestimation of Ukrainian engineers at the front, Berlinska believes. Highly qualified specialists often perform tasks that are not related to the creation or improvement of technologies — they work as drivers, mortar operators or clerks. Berlinska emphasized that this is a waste of a valuable resource, as these people could do much more if they had the opportunity to exercise their engineering skills.
“If we have an engineer company that can hold a position for several kilometers, but at the same time has the potential to make drones that can significantly weaken the enemy's forces, we should use them exactly as intended. This is not just a saving of resources, but an opportunity to act smarter," she said.
The developer of intelligence complexes, Andriy Lypovyi, believes that Ukraine is approaching Russia's technological level and has even gained a certain "slight advantage" in some aspects. In his opinion, with the right approach, Ukraine will be able to consolidate its leadership in the field of unmanned systems already in 2025.
However, this requires investment in engineering capacity and proper organization of human resources. The "war of drones" between Ukraine and Russia demonstrates that, despite the willingness of engineers to develop new technologies, it is necessary to provide conditions for the implementation of their ideas.
According to experts, Ukraine should invest not only in the number of drones, but also in the quality of their management and innovation. Otherwise, the technological lag behind Russia can only increase, complicating the task of the military at the front.
