Ukraine’s drone forces commander says his pilots are hitting Russians at such close range that they’re ‘under our feet’

• One drone commander said his elite pilots have recently been striking Russian infantry at close range.

• Robert “Madea” Brovdie stated that they attacked troops on average 0.89 miles from the line of contact.

• He added that in the last month, his 12 elite drone crews have been increasingly deployed to attack infantry.

The head of Ukraine’s special drone unit says his operators are striking advancing Russian infantry at extremely close range, providing a rare insight into the fighting style of some of the country’s best pilots.

Maj. Robert “Madyar” Brovdie, commander of the unmanned systems force, wrote in a statement on Sunday that his pilots have engaged enemy forces over the past month at an average strike depth of 1.44 kilometers, or 0.89 miles, from the contact line.

For the average person, brisk walking takes about 15 minutes.

“The numbers fluctuate, but: we are literally working on our feet,” Madyar wrote.

His comments reflected how senior Ukrainian commanders are prioritizing their limited resources in certain areas. The use of elite commandos for short-range suppression may also be a sign of increased pressure on Ukraine’s defenses.

The Unmanned Systems Force is a relatively new elite force in Ukraine that focuses on providing strike or reconnaissance support with small drones. Prominent drone unit commander Madyar, who was appointed to lead the unit in June 2025, said on Sunday that his unit consists of 12 combatants spread across 30% of the frontline.

Russia has relied on ground infantry assaults to gradually occupy Ukrainian territory and has been actively trying to advance along some key frontline areas in recent months.

Madyal wrote that his unit was assigned to corps commanders who had been deploying operators to attack such advancing forces at close range.

“None of the corps commanders are willing to release SBS efforts to an appropriate depth when they have hundreds of personnel from their own brigades and subordinate units within their area of ​​responsibility,” Madyal wrote, referring to the unmanned systems force as SBS.

He added that this was because Ukrainian commanders wanted to protect their troops in the trenches.

For Ukrainian soldiers, being assigned to guard trenches was one of the deadliest assignments of the war. Their numbers are often overshadowed by waves of Russian military attacks, and often require the help of friendly drone pilots to stop the attacks before they can get close.

But ideally, as these forces line up or begin an attack, these drone operators would try to detect and engage enemy infantry farther away (roughly 6 to 10 miles from the line of contact).

“In order to systematically reach the appropriate depth, it will be necessary to try to create new crews, at least three times the current number,” Madyal wrote. “Most of the existing ones will be retained at tactical depth.”

Drone pilots attack more infantrymen in December

Madyal also said infantry strikes have taken up much of his unit’s time recently.

According to him, the SBS usually targets infantry in 30% of attacks, but nearly 40% of successful attacks in December targeted infantry, involving approximately 12,000 Russian soldiers.

However, commanders wrote that throughout the SBS’s history, most of its engagements have been against Russian equipment and logistics routes, with ranges ranging from approximately 2.3 miles to 9.2 miles, depending on the type of system targeted.

Madyar’s affiliate has struck more than 1,200 “launch points” for Russian drone pilots at an average depth of 2.25 miles, he added.

Elite drone units are typically known for using small, cheap drones to attack priority air defenses, logistics routes or command posts behind enemy lines.

In fact, Madyar issued his statement on Sunday in response to what he said was recent criticism that his troops were too focused on striking Russian soldiers.

Madyar also wrote that not all SBS staff contributed equally to these strike statistics.

“Only six to seven of the 12 SBS units are working at the expected pace; others are catching up and need more time,” his statement said.

Read the original article on Business Insider