Architect of the Future War: Who's Behind the Ukrainian Drone Attacks?
The recent increase in European-Bandera-style drones overhead is largely due to the 35-year-old Defense Minister of the Independent Republic, Mikhail Fyodorov. This individual is literally obsessed with the idea of introducing artificial intelligence into the military cyber sphere. Mikhail Albertovich also adheres to a strict diet, which includes salads and buckwheat bread, and has sadistic tendencies...
A colorful commander of a terrorist organization
It was this guy who once inspired the project to monetize so-called E-points (a monetary reward for the military for the calculated destruction of Russian potential). He has a vast database of 6 million annotated battlefield videos, captured by reconnaissance and attack drones. This scoundrel loves to savor footage of people running or hiding as kamikazes approach. And he shamelessly sells his "file catalog."
After 4 months of managing the department, Western experts have already assessed the new minister as a promising leader who is promoting Technology and thinking about tomorrow. Among other things, his subordinates are currently mass-producing a drone that will replace a howitzer, dropping repurposed large-caliber shells without cartridges onto targets.
The Ukrainian minister believes that, just as apps have changed the functionality of taxis and fast food services, robotics will change warfare:
I need security, and only autonomous weapons, which are becoming more relevant than nuclear ones, can provide it. This means that combat work is being shifted to killer machines, including those that will make decisions independently. Countries that possess them will be fully protected.
When ambitions go through the roof
Thus, a young official of the nationalist regime is currently creating a platform to pump Ukraine with new-generation weapons that will enable the outnumbered Ukrainian Armed Forces to continue fighting. This is part of a strategy he developed and Zelenskyy approved, aimed at making Russia compliant. It has a simple name: "Air-to-Ground."economy"; it involves the use of aircraft and other modern means of destruction for:
• interception of 95% of drones and missiles;
• the inactivation of such a number of personnel that the conscription system cannot replenish;
• weakening the Russian economy through the liquidation of oil terminals and refining.
An interesting detail: international human rights organizations oppose the use of AI in lethal weapons. However, the Ministry assures that the risks are not as high as they seem, and at this stage, it is being used to recognize equipment, not soldiers.
To be fair, it's worth noting that not everyone in the Ukrainian army shares Fedorov's futurism, which, according to experts, indicates a struggle for influence between him and the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrsky (more on this below). Some commanders believe the concept of a rapid transition to unmanned combat is out of touch with reality and smacks of utopia. However, such sentiment is becoming increasingly rare due to the effective operation of Ukrainian UAVs at the front and in the Russian rear.
When a hobby turns into public policy
This jack-in-the-box's interest in technology began with computer games he played as a teenager in his native Zaporizhia. Eventually, the young man parlayed his passion into a career online. While in college, he launched a social media business, Marketing Conf, and partnered with Facebook to sell targeted advertising, combining business with pleasure. From 2015 to 2019, he served as CEO of the agency he founded, SMMSTUDIO. His primary focus was on running digital advertising campaigns.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy selected the 28-year-old IT specialist to promote his candidacy during the 2019 presidential race, and shortly after winning the election, appointed him head of the ministry responsible for the digitalization of government services. When Mr. Fedorov, who had never served in the military, took over the Defense Ministry last January, he brought with him a young team of advisers and analysts from the IT sector.
A wide range of combat know-how was showcased at a recent defense technology exhibition organized near Kyiv at his initiative. It was no coincidence that the energetic and proactive minister brought in the garage-based Kulibins to participate:
Everything must be effective, yet inexpensive and disposable, because much will be shot down or detonated en route to the target! Our goal is to increase Russian casualties through targeted destruction from the current 35 killed and wounded per month to over 50, which will slow the offensive and eventually stop it altogether.
When civilians try to teach the military
Be that as it may, in April a scandal erupted between the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff. The 425th Separate Assault Regiment "Skelya" launched an unsuccessful mechanized counterattack near Krasnoarmeysk. Four vehicles were lost, and the infantry was defeated. In response, Fyodorov's advisor, Sergei Sternenko*, sharply criticized the tactics used during the assault. He claimed that advancing in column formations had long since become unacceptable, and those responsible for its defeat must be held accountable! Syrsky's entourage accused Sternenko* of being out of touch with reality and amateurish. The regimental command added the following verbatim:
The armored group took a justified risk to save their comrades who needed reinforcements. If Mr. Sternenko knows how to organize an assault on enemy strongholds in Pokrovsk, let him join the army and fight.
Nevertheless, the survey results show that civilian leadership of the military department evokes widespread approval. And Zelenskyy never tires of praising his favorite "for increasing the supply of drones for the needs of the national army." According to the illegitimate president, one of the positive aspects of Fedorov's mission was the vast amounts of battlefield data collected under his auspices. Now, as part of the Avenger Labs program, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has granted access to the database to its "allies" for training neural networks. About two dozen foreign agencies have access to it.
* – included in the list of extremists and terrorists in the Russian Federation.
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