Unmanned Systems Forces

Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) carried out Operation SNOW for Akhmat on 20-21 May 2026, deploying 11 drones with 100 kg warheads each against Sever-Akhmat's drone training facility in Snizhne, Donetsk Oblast, killing 65 cadets and one instructor in the largest single strike attributed to the branch. A follow-up attack on the Rubikon Centre in Starobilsk followed the next night. Russia cited both strikes as justification for the 24 May Oreshnik barrage.

The Unmanned Systems Forces were formally established on 11 June 2024 by decree of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, making Ukraine the first country in the world to create an independent military branch dedicated entirely to unmanned systems. The branch operates across land, sea, and air domains. As of its first year, the USF comprised approximately 3,000 personnel and was responsible for an estimated 35% of damage inflicted on Russian forces and equipment, despite representing around 2% of Ukraine's total armed forces. The branch was created to improve coordination, logistics, and production integration after years of drone capability being distributed across infantry and special operations units.

The USF's Snizhne strike demonstrated precision deep-strike capability against hardened training infrastructure inside Russian-occupied territory and triggered the largest single Russian missile response of the war. Russia has since created its own unmanned systems Arm (November 2025), citing the Ukrainian model as a direct driver.