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How the drone battles of Ukraine are shaping the future of war

As the Russia-Ukraine war reaches its third anniversary, militaries around the world are watching the evolution of drone warfare and planning for future conflicts

By David Hambling

18 February 2025

Mandatory Credit: Photo by KATERYNA KLOCHKO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock (14349659f) Ukrainian servicemen from the 108th Brigade of Territorial Defence prepare to fly a Ukraine-made multi-purpose drone Leleka-100 on a field near a frontline in the direction of Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, 15 February 2024, amid the Russian invasion. Russian troops entered Ukrainian territory on 24 February 2022, starting a conflict that has provoked destruction and a humanitarian crisis. Ukraine's Territorial Defense Brigade operates drones near Zaporizhzhia frontline - 15 Feb 2024

Ukrainian troops have made extensive use of drones

KATERYNA KLOCHKO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Ukraine and Russia are now three years into what has been called the first drone war: not the first in which they were used, but the first in which they have been a major factor on the battlefield. What lessons have others drawn about the shape of future wars?

“Drones are here to stay, and they will be everywhere – on the ground, in the air and at sea – in numbers,” says Oleksandra Molloy at the University of New South Wales in Canberra, Australia. “The point of no return was…

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