Combat-Tested Drone Force Commander Earmarked to Lead New Army Corps – Reports

Colonel Vadym Sukharevsky is reportedly set to be removed from his post as commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces - but may instead be appointed to lead a newly created army corps.

The Militarnyi media outlet, citing sources among Ukraine’s political and military circles, reports that Sukharevsky’s removal has been discussed at the highest levels of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) for several months.

On May 7, 2024, the Cabinet of Ministers approved a draft decree by President Volodymyr Zelensky – prepared by the Ministry of Defense together with the General Staff – to establish a separate branch of the AFU: the Unmanned Systems Forces.

Sukharevsky was appointed commander of the new drone warfare division in June 2024.

It remains unclear which army corps he might lead, the report says. New army corps have been created within Ukraine’s Ground Forces, Air Assault Forces, and the Marine Corps of the Navy.

The Ukrainska Pravda outlet also confirmed the information, citing a source connected to the Unmanned Systems Forces.

Who Is Vadym Sukharevsky?

Colonel Vadym Sukharevsky was the first Ukrainian Airborne Forces officer to open fire on Russian troops during the initial Russian incursion near Sloviansk, Donetsk region, on April 13, 2014.

A veteran of Ukraine’s 80th Air Assault Brigade, Sukharevsky served as a staff officer in a Marine unit in Ukraine’s southern sector at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

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Ukraine’s Drone Forces Claim 100,000 Russian Casualties in One Year

Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) on Thursday said they have eliminated more than 100,000 Russian troops and struck 350,000 military targets since the branch was established a year ago. USF Commander Brovdi said the losses are nearly three times the number of troops Russia deployed in its failed attempt to seize Kyiv in 2022. The USF now aims to double that figure over the next year.

In March 2023, he took command of the 59th Motorized Brigade - a unit struggling to hold the line against heavy Russian assaults advancing north from occupied Crimea.

According to media reports later confirmed by Kyiv Post, Sukharevsky stabilized the brigade by forcing panicked troops to dig in and holding junior commanders accountable for enforcing discipline.

In an interview with Forbes, Sukharevsky recalled early anger and resistance from his soldiers until they learned that organized defenses could successfully break up Russian attacks.

Under his leadership, the Brigade also became one of the first AFU units to form a specialized strike drone unit – and likely the first brigade in military history to use drones as a serious alternative to conventional artillery.

By late 2023 and early 2024, the brigade’s drone teams were dominating the skies over the Kherson sector, reportedly dropping hundreds of explosive charges on Russian positions and troops daily.

On Feb. 10, 2024, Sukharevsky became deputy commander-in-chief of the AFU, serving under Oleksandr Syrsky with responsibility for unmanned systems and the development of drone warfare.