Daijiworld Media Network - Kyiv
Kyiv, Aug 27: Ukraine is carefully weighing how to share its vast trove of battlefield data with allies, calling it one of its strongest “cards” in securing long-term support from partner nations. Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who also heads the country’s digitalisation ministry, said the data gathered since Russia’s 2022 invasion is “priceless for any country”.
The datasets, ranging from meticulously logged combat statistics to millions of hours of drone footage, could play a crucial role in training Artificial Intelligence (AI) models for defence purposes. “The demand for the data is incredibly high, but at the moment we are forming policy on how to organise this process correctly,” Fedorov told Reuters.
Ukraine has positioned itself as a testing ground for international defence companies, with nearly 1,000 applications received and 50 new systems already deployed. AI now powers Ukraine’s drones, scanning satellite images for targets, enabling autonomous swarms, and assisting in long-range strikes deep into Russian territory.
Fedorov confirmed Ukraine’s use of US data analytics firm Palantir’s AI technology to track Russian strikes, monitor disinformation campaigns, plan demining, and even decide locations for underground schools.
Drone warfare has transformed the battlefield: between 80% and 90% of Russian targets are now destroyed using drones, up from around 70% in 2024. Ukrainian troops describe a “kill zone” stretching 10–15 km from the front line, potentially expanding to 20 km by next year.
To sustain operations in this hostile zone, Ukraine has deployed thousands of unmanned ground vehicles to deliver supplies to frontline soldiers. Meanwhile, a video game-style “points system” introduced by Fedorov’s ministry has distributed about 500,000 drones to units, rewarding them for confirmed strikes on Russian equipment.
“This stimulates units to kill more, to share data based on which decisions are later made about what is effective and what is not,” Fedorov noted, describing the battlefield as “hellish work”.