Syrskyi calls unmanned systems 'priority,' seeks solutions for advantage over Russia

Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi named the development and use of unmanned systems as his priority, with the technology being "the key" to Ukraine's advantage over Russia.

Syrskyi is working with his deputy, Vadym Sukharevskyi, to accelerate the introduction of "innovative solutions" and ensure "the institutional sustainability" of some military command and control agencies of Ukraine's Defense Forces, he wrote on Telegram on March 18.

In late February, Sukharevskyi said Ukraine's goal for 2024 is to meet Russian forces on the battlefield with drones. The Ukrainian military is not abandoning old systems, but rather looking for solutions to strengthen its existing capabilities, according to him.

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"Ukraine's Armed Forces, in particular, must be provided with the most effective and up-to-date weapons," Syrskyi said. "The most important task that technology and innovation must fulfill is to save the lives of our soldiers."

A special focus will be on training specialists in electronic warfare, unmanned systems, automated control systems, according to the general.

Syrskyi said the command is taking a "comprehensive approach" to planning the needs of the military, taking into account experience from the battlefield.

"We are looking for asymmetric solutions to gain a qualitative advantage over a quantitatively superior enemy," he wrote.

"New technical solutions," such as the use of unmanned systems and modern tools of electronic warfare, were named among Syrskyi's priorities when he stepped into his position in early February.

Former Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi also called electronic warfare "the key to victory in the drone war."

Read also: The Invisible War: Inside the electronic warfare arms race that could shape course of war in Ukraine

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