«A matrix-like war»: Soldier explains what Ukraine’s army must become
Current fighting in Ukraine is radically different from wars of the past century. Whereas warfare used to resemble a step-by-step chess match, any move today triggers an instant counteraction.
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Illustrative photo / © Security Service of Ukraine
The war in Ukraine is increasingly becoming a confrontation dominated by unmanned technologies, with drones playing a central role, while traditional weapons are gradually losing their supremacy.
Yehor Soboliev, commander of the unmanned systems unit of the 12th Separate Special Forces Centre, journalist and former MP, spoke about this in an interview with Glavcom.
He said current fighting is radically different from wars of the last century. Whereas warfare used to resemble a step-by-step chess match, any move today triggers an instant counteraction. The tempo of operations has accelerated, and the battlefield is now far more complex and dynamic.
Soboliev says the role of artillery, long considered the «god of war, ” is gradually declining, and large-scale tank breakthroughs have effectively become obsolete. In his view, structuring the Armed Forces according to 18th–20th century military principles no longer makes sense.
«We need to abandon rigid hierarchical pyramids and shift to a flexible, networked command model. It should function like a „matrix,“ with units interacting quickly and decisions made as rapidly as possible, ” the military officer said.
The commander predicts that the main form of confrontation will soon be drone-on-drone warfare. Armored vehicles are already appearing on the battlefield far less often, as they are increasingly vulnerable to unmanned systems.
He cited the evolution of his own unit: from a small UAV platoon at the start of 2023 to a full company of strike drone aviation complexes, now equipped with cutting-edge technology.
Soboliev also pointed to the future of automated drone command. He believes software will become central, coordinating large numbers of unmanned systems without direct manual control.
«Ground robotic platforms with various functions, maritime and underwater drones, and aerial unmanned vehicles will appear on the battlefield. All will be linked in a single digital network, ” the military officer said.