Robert Yosypovych Brovdi, Born 9 August 1975 in Uzhhorod in Zakarpattia, commands Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces. He uses the callsign Madyar, Hungarian for 'the Hungarian', after the ethnic Hungarian community of his home region. Before the invasion he was a grain trader and property developer.

He raised an aerial reconnaissance unit of 26 people in mid-2022. It grew into the 414th Separate Unmanned Systems Brigade by December 2024 and was among the first Ukrainian formations to use FPV drones systematically as a strike weapon. He was named a Hero of Ukraine on 8 May 2025 and given command of the Unmanned Systems Forces by presidential decree on 3 June 2025, holding the rank of major.

Under him the branch runs deep strikes inside Russia and a maritime campaign against Russian oil shipping. More than 400 drones went into Russia overnight into 6 June 2026, setting fire to the Baltic Fleet corvette Boikyi at Kronstadt. On 12 September 2026 he said his crews had struck 285 Russian oil tankers over ten weeks.

Common Questions

Who is Madyar and what did he do at Kronstadt?

Madyar is the call sign of Brovdi, commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces. On 6 June 2026 he confirmed that his forces sent over 400 drones to strike Kronstadt, setting the corvette Boikyi on fire in the first confirmed Ukrainian naval strike in the Baltic Sea.Source: Lowdown / Ukrainian military

How far is Kronstadt from Ukraine?

Kronstadt, the Baltic Fleet's home base outside St Petersburg, is approximately 1,000km from the Ukrainian border. Ukraine's 6 June 2026 drone strike reached it using a 400-drone wave coordinated by the Unmanned Systems Forces.Source: Lowdown

What is Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces?

The Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) is a dedicated drone service branch of Ukraine's armed forces, established formally in 2024. Commanded by Brovdi (call sign Madyar), it operates massed drone waves for both battlefield attrition and long-range strategic strikes.

Was the Kronstadt Baltic Fleet strike the first Ukrainian attack in the Baltic Sea?

Yes. The 6 June 2026 drone strike that hit the corvette Boikyi at Kronstadt is the first confirmed Ukrainian naval strike in the Baltic Sea.Source: Lowdown / Ukrainian military

Who commands Ukraine's drone forces?

Major Robert Brovdi, callsign Madyar, has commanded the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine since a presidential decree of 3 June 2025.

Why is Robert Brovdi called Madyar?

Madyar is Hungarian for 'the Hungarian'. Brovdi comes from Uzhhorod in Zakarpattia, the Ukrainian region with a large ethnic Hungarian community.

What is Madyar's Birds?

The aerial reconnaissance unit Brovdi raised with 26 people in 2022. It pioneered FPV drones as a strike weapon and became the 414th Separate Unmanned Systems Brigade in December 2024.

What did Robert Brovdi do before the war?

He was a grain trader and property developer, co-founding the grain exporter Granum and the BrovdiArt foundation for contemporary Ukrainian art.

Source Material

Robert 'Magyar' Brovdi to lead the Unmanned Systems Forces Robert Brovdi Unmanned Systems Forces