Ukraine’s Bulava or Mace middle-strike drone hit all assigned targets in Donetsk Oblast during a live test under heavy jamming and camouflage. The Bulava middle-strike drone, developed by Ukrainian company DeViro, achieved five direct hits in five launches near Pokrovsk, according to RFE/RL’s Donbas Realii. The test marks a major step in Ukraine’s effort to field a combat-ready alternative to Russia’s Lancet.

Five-for-five success in frontline test

According to soldier, call sign Serzh Marko, whose crew took part in the test, the drone was deployed in Donetsk Oblast’s most radio-electronic warfare-heavy zone near Selydove. Despite intense electronic warfare and camouflaged targets, Bulava reportedly scored five precise hits. Feedback from the operators was sent directly to the manufacturer.

The drone’s warhead weighs 3.6 kilograms—600 grams more than the heaviest Lancet variant. It combines cumulative, penetrative, and thermobaric elements, increasing effectiveness against armored and fortified targets.

Bulava’s role in middle-strike tactics

Military personnel classify Bulava as a middle-strike weapon, designed to operate at ranges between 100 and 300 kilometers from the front line. This category bridges the gap between FPV drones, which typically strike within 25 kilometers, and deep-strike drones capable of hitting targets over 400 kilometers away.

“Middle-strike” terminology remains fluid, but Ukrainian forces are shaping this doctrine in real-time. According to Serzh Marko from the 59th Assault Brigade’s drone unit, these drones are used beyond the third echelon of defense — over 100 kilometers from the line of contact. The first two echelons are 0-15 km and 15-25 km. Fellow soldier Ihor Lutsenko added that any effective strike beyond 25–30 kilometers should qualify as middle-strike in practical battlefield terms.

Military consultant Inokentii Razumov explained that the goal of middle-strike is to degrade Russian rear operations — targeting logistics columns, artillery, air defense systems, and EW equipment. Successful use of middle-strike drones can prevent Russian forces from consolidating behind the front and preparing for assaults.

Hits on S-300 or Buk launchers, for instance, can open the way for deep-strike drones to reach strategic objectives deeper in Russian-occupied territory.

Challenges and advantages

Bulava is equipped with an X-shaped airframe and advanced targeting, allowing it to strike masked targets even under jamming. Each mission relies on a scout drone to find targets and relays to maintain control at distance. Operators stressed that success depends on 24/7 aerial reconnaissance and tight coordination between scout and strike teams.

Russia’s head start

Russia has used the Lancet drone since 2022, later adding variants like Italmas, KUB-2, and AI-guided systems. The enemy relies on mass production of cheap UAVs like Molniya-2 to overwhelm defenses. According to Donbas Realii, these systems helped Russian forces force a Ukrainian withdrawal from the Kursk foothold, later redeploying to Donetsk for deeper strikes.

Scaling the solution

Despite Bulava’s proven success, Ukrainian forces say the drone is not being procured in large numbers.

“We asked for it again and again. No response,” said Serzh Marko, blaming past Ministry of Defense decisions for ignoring battlefield needs.

Procurement bottlenecks through the Defense Procurement Agency and shifts in leadership have delayed delivery of ready-to-use drones.

Troops say a clear strategy for middle-strike use is still missing inside Ukraine’s newly formed Unmanned Systems Forces. Without it, even proven systems like Bulava risk being underused.

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Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) announced on June 20 the establishment of a new command group that will unite the branch with other top drone units in the country's military.

Drones have become one of the defining tools of the full-scale war, used extensively by both Ukraine and Russia for surveillance, long-range strikes, and tactical battlefield firepower.

The new formation will unite all military units of the USF with the Drone Line, a project launched by President Volodymyr Zelensky in February this year to coordinate and expand five of the country's strongest drone units.

The new command umbrella was created to "improve the efficiency of management, transform the Forces, and adapt to the requirements of modern warfare," according to the statement.

The units will operate within a single chain of command, with a defined structure and a common vision of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) tactics in order to harmonize approaches, establish joint work, and use unmanned systems more effectively in combat, the USF said.

The Unmanned Systems Forces were created as a separate branch of Ukraine's military in June 2024.

At that time, Ukraine's strongest existing drone units served in other branches of the defense forces, including the Ground Forces, National Guard, and the Security Service of Ukraine.

The newly-created group will be led by Major Robert Brovdi, better known by his callsign Magyar, whom Zelensky appointed as the commander of the USF in early June.

Brovdi had previously served as commander of the eponymous Magyar's Birds Unmanned Systems Brigade, a founding member of the Drone Line initiative and one of the most consistently high-performing drone units in the Ukrainian military.

A world-first phenomenon, Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces works to improve the country's drone operations, creating drone-specific units, ramping up training, increasing drone production, and advancing innovation.

The USF has also carried out hundreds of operations deep within Russian territory.

Following in Ukraine's footsteps, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the creation of his country's own individual drone branch on June 12.

Colonel Vadym Sukharevskyi, previously deputy commander-in-chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces, was named the first commander of the USF on June 10, 2024.

Brovdi replaced Sukharevskyi, who was dismissed on June 3.

According to military personnel who spoke anonymously to Ukrainian news outlet Suspilne, Sukharevskyi's relationship with Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi was tense from the beginning of the USF's formation.

Sukharevskyi's appointment was a decision by president Zelensky, not Syrskyi, sources said.

People close to both Syrskyi and Sukharevskyi also claimed the two men avoided face-to-face interactions.

Not content with waging war inside Ukraine, Russia has now taken it into the virtual world

The new game is the first to focus on Russia’s war in Ukraine, featuring real battles and characters.

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Hodunova

Ukraine's 59th Brigade of the Unmanned Systems Forces said on June 17 that former fighter Ryan O'Leary no longer has access to current information about the unit's operations and cannot speak on its behalf.

The statement follows public criticism from O'Leary, an American volunteer and former commander of the Chosen Company, who alleged widespread leadership failures within Ukraine's Armed Forces.

On June 14, O'Leary said mismanagement within the military, rather than Russia's action, was responsible for "more deaths," accusing commanders of prioritizing personal power over troop welfare.

"The officer corps behaves like a caste system of untouchables or 'army lords,'" he wrote on X.

Chosen Company, originally formed as the 312 Swedish Volunteer Company at the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, has drawn members from more than 31 countries.

Its first commander, Swedish veteran Edvard Selander Patrignani, was killed in action in July 2022. O'Leary took command afterward, and the unit was integrated into the 59th Brigade in early 2023.

O'Leary accused the former commander of the 59th Brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Bohdan Shevchuk, of sending intelligence officers into reckless assaults, resulting in avoidable casualties. Shevchuk was recently removed from command after being accused of submitting false reports.

"In the first two months of his command, he sent soldiers into unattainable positions with no hope of reinforcement or survival," O'Leary claimed.

In response, the 59th Brigade, deployed in the Pokrovsk sector in Donetsk Oblast, said O'Leary voluntarily resigned from service on Feb. 8, 2024, and has not taken part in any operations or internal decisions since.

"He does not have up-to-date information on the state of affairs in the unit and cannot comment on it," the brigade said. "The dissemination of unfounded accusations and misinformation undermines morale and negatively affects the unit's combat readiness."

The 59th Brigade emphasized that its soldiers continue to perform combat missions under challenging conditions and "maintain high efficiency and effectiveness."

O'Leary had announced the disbandment of the Chosen Company on May 26, but said he would wait to discuss details until his contract officially ended.

‘A brutal strike’ — Massive Russian missile and drone attack hits Kyiv, killing 10, injuring at least 124

Russian drones and ballistic missiles targeted the capital overnight, killing 15 people and injuring at least 114, local authorities reported. Damage to civilian infrastructure has also been reported throughout the city.

The Kyiv IndependentOlena Goncharova