Ukraine's military rewards drone operators with points for strikes on Russian forces
Ukraine's military operates a gamified drone-strike system that awards points to operators for confirmed kills, redeemable for weapons and equipment. Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov confirmed the system has expanded from 95 to 400 participating units and reportedly contributed to 18,000 Russian casualties in September 2025. The system incorporates AI-assisted targeting recommendations alongside human control.
What happened
Ukraine's military operates a gamified drone targeting system, launched over a year ago, that awards points to operators for confirmed strikes. As of August 2025, 95 drone units participated; by November 2025, participation had grown to 400 units.
Points are redeemable through Brave1, an online marketplace offering over 100 drone models, autonomous vehicles and other equipment. Ukrainian officials stated that AI-assisted systems recommend targets and control final trajectory moments to improve accuracy.
The system was extended to artillery units, reconnaissance teams and logistics units. Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov stated that the system has become 'extremely popular among units' and that all defence forces know of it and compete for points.
Reported impact
Drone teams competing in the system reportedly killed or wounded 18,000 Russian soldiers in September 2025. The number of Russian casualties in September was reportedly double that of October 2024.
Fedorov stated that killing one enemy drone operator yields 25 points, while using a drone to capture a Russian soldier yields 120 points. In response to September casualty levels, the government reportedly doubled points for killing Russian infantry from 6 to 12 points.
Index analysis
Ukrainian officials stated that the gamification creates a 'self-reinforcing cycle' where eliminating more infantry results in earning more drones to eliminate more infantry. Fedorov acknowledged that the system reflects increasing automation of warfare.
Ukrainian intelligence services suspect Russia may develop a similar gamified system. The system applies AI recommendations to targeting decisions, though humans control final strike authorization.
Governance controls
Point values are set by the Ukrainian cabinet. Fedorov stated that officials are 'quite emotionless' when assigning point values to human lives, describing the process as 'technical work' necessary to stop the enemy from killing Ukrainian military and civilians.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.