Vladimir Putin has told Russians that victory over Ukraine is certain. But this Saturday, no tanks or missiles will roll across the cobblestones of Moscow’s Red Square. For the first time in nearly 20 years, the annual celebration of the Allies’ victory over Nazi Germany will happen without any military vehicles. The reason: the Kremlin is worried about a Ukrainian attack.
The person who has probably done the most to unsettle the Putin regime this weekend is Robert Brovdi, the head of a Ukrainian military drone unit called Madyar’s Birds, named after his call sign. In recent months, his unit has carried out a series of long-range strikes on targets deep inside Russia, including ports, oil refineries, and missile factories.
Brovdi admits that a “symbolic” attack on Red Square would make headlines worldwide, but he says Ukraine will likely deliver a “slap in the face” where Russia’s air defenses are weaker. “Why waste drones on the ‘great wall’?” he said, referring to the heightened security around Moscow. “If you hit the energy sector or military, that’s the best strike, on the outskirts.”
Crippling attacks from Brovdi’s elite 414th brigade have created a huge challenge for the Kremlin’s war effort. The unit’s long-range drones have been taking out enemy air defense systems faster than Moscow can rebuild them. Suddenly, everywhere within a 1,250-mile (2,000 km) radius of Brovdi’s bunker looks vulnerable, including Putin’s palaces.
Last month, Ukrainian drones hit the Black Sea oil terminal at Tuapse four times in two weeks. “Practically everything there has burned,” Brovdi says. Similar strikes hit the Baltic ports of Primorsk and Ust-Luga. Drones even reached the Urals, hitting an oil refinery in Perm and fighter jets in Chelyabinsk, 1,050 miles from the front line.
Brovdi suggests that smoldering infrastructure and dark, oil-soaked clouds point the way to a Ukrainian victory by crashing Russia’s economy so it can no longer fund its costly war. Putin spends 40% of his $530 billion annual budget on the military, and Brovdi estimates that 100 million tonnes of Russian oil, worth $100 billion (£73.4 billion), is exported each year from ports within range of his drones.
Brovdi also points to the Russian military’s casualties from drones. Ukraine claims that for the fifth month in a row, the Kremlin has lost more soldiers than it can recruit, with deaths estimated at 30,000 to 34,000 per month. “This affects the combat capability of the Russian army, reducing its offensive potential. That is a fact,” he says.
Meeting Brovdi, a former grain trader who last year became head of Ukraine’s newly formed Unmanned Systems Forces, involves strict security protocols and a mysterious ride in a car with blacked-out windows. After Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he is Russia’s top assassination target. His operations center is deep underground. A corridor lined with sleeping pods leads to a room filled with computer screens and live video feeds.
Drones hang from the ceiling. There is a library, a painting of a Ukrainian flag by artist Anatolii Kryvolap, and contemporary sculpture. Video loops show the final moments of Russian soldiers and the gruesome aftermath of explosions. Each death is filmed and verified, and some are compiled into a reel for social media. (The clips, which some might find distasteful, are popular online and humiliating for Russia’s military.) An electronic table lists enemy losses—personnel, armored vehicles, radar systems—in real time.
Brovdi sits on a sofa in a small private office, smoking and offering cups of tea. Next to him, goldfish swim in a tank. Once clean-shaven and dressed in a suit, he now has a beard and wears a military uniform.He wears a green military uniform and has a long, priest-like beard. Speaking rapidly in Ukrainian, he recites statistics at high speed. An accounting system tracks every drone mission, dating back to the first day of Russia’s full-scale invasion in early 2022.
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The operations room of ‘Madyar’s Birds’, an elite drone unit. Faces and screens have been blurred at the request of Ukraine’s military. Photograph: Alessio Mamo/The Guardian
Several factors seem to explain Russia’s recent panic and the growing optimism within Ukraine’s armed forces. One is Ukraine’s new status as a drone superpower. Its counter-drone technology is being exported to Gulf states, which came under attack from Iran in response to US-Israeli strikes. Another factor is big data. A situational awareness system called Delta logs every mission, including failures. Brovdi says he receives 12 to 15 terabytes of raw video footage every day.
Ukraine is also making tactical gains. Earlier this year, it launched a small counteroffensive, reclaiming 12 villages in the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions. According to the Institute for the Study of War, in April, Russian forces lost more territory than they gained for the first time since 2024.
“Our troops are advancing and liberating our lands. The enemy is suffering heavy losses and struggling to replace them,” says Captain Oleg Kopan, deputy commander of the artillery reconnaissance division of the 148th brigade.
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Soldiers from the 148th brigade waiting for a reconnaissance drone to return from a mission above southern Ukraine. Photograph: Alessio Mamo/The Guardian
The brigade’s battlefield drone pilots live in a dugout hidden beneath a tree line. Inside, there are computers, camp beds, and supplies of food and water. Every few hours, they come out to launch a Leleka reconnaissance drone, which is flung into the air with a catapult. Its camera provides a panoramic view of yellow fields scarred by shell craters and Russian trenches. Periodic grey puffs of smoke rise from Ukrainian artillery strikes.
Kopan says Ukraine’s recent advances are “100%” due to rapidly evolving unmanned technology. “Drones allow us to strike precisely with fewer casualties and greater efficiency,” he says. The Russians are also adapting. “They’re very good at watching what we do, copying it, and scaling it up quickly. They have factories and people,” he adds.
In Brovdi’s view, Ukraine has pioneered a “new doctrine of war.” He says drones are responsible for 80% of destruction, replacing assault rifles and armor. “A blitzkrieg is now impossible. If Russia had a million tanks and tried to seize Kyiv again, it would be the biggest bloodbath in world history,” he says. “Two million drones would swarm over those tanks and burn them mercilessly.”
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Soldiers from the 148th artillery brigade at an underground frontline position in southern Ukraine. Photograph: Alessio Mamo/The Guardian
He adds that NATO countries haven’t fully realized they need to overhaul their armies. The generals in charge received their military training when “nobody gave a damn about drones,” he says. They need to follow Ukraine’s example by creating a system that combines video footage, photos, coordinates, and confirmed kills. “Russia won’t stop. Neither we nor you have time.”
But despite these successes, Ukraine is “a long way from victory,” he admits. “I have no illusions that an end to the war is possible anytime soon. If anything, we’re talking about a pause linked to some kind of agreement or geopolitical circumstances.”
“The pause will only give Putin a chance to regroup. He is afflicted with an incurable disease of power and a desire to build a dictatorship. He’s a sick man.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs based on the topic Meeting Madyar the Ukrainian drone commander spoiling Putins plans
BeginnerLevel Questions
1 Who is Madyar
Madyar is the call sign of a Ukrainian drone commander who leads a highly effective unit of drone pilots He has become famous for using small commercial drones to disrupt Russian military operations
2 What kind of drones does Madyar use
He primarily uses small commercially available FirstPerson View drones These are cheap fast and agile and are often modified to carry explosives
3 How is Madyar spoiling Putins plans
His unit uses drones to find and destroy expensive Russian military equipment like tanks artillery and supply trucks By taking out these assets they slow down Russian advances and protect Ukrainian soldiers
4 Is Madyar a pilot in the cockpit of a fighter jet
No He is a groundbased commander He and his team operate the drones remotely often from a hidden position near the front lines using a screen and a headset
AdvancedLevel Questions
5 What makes Madyars unit different from other drone units
His unit is known for its speed adaptability and decentralized command They use a swarm tactic where many lowcost drones attack a single target simultaneously overwhelming Russian air defenses They also have their own production line for modifying civilian drones into weapons
6 What is the biggest technical challenge Madyars team faces
Electronic Warfare The Russians use powerful radio jammers to block the drones control signal Madyars team must constantly update their drone frequencies use stronger antennas and fly at very low altitudes to avoid being jammed
7 How does Madyars work affect the morale of Russian soldiers
It creates constant fear A soldier in a tank is no longer safe because a small quiet drone can appear at any moment and drop a grenade through an open hatch This psychological pressure is a major part of his units success
8 Can a single drone commander really change the course of a war
Individually no However Madyar represents a new model of warfare His unit proves that a small techsavvy team using cheap
