What Ukraine learned from the war and why this knowledge will change the world. Analysis by Major General Valery Zaluzhny
(Speech by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (2021-2024) Major General Valery Zaluzhny at the Ukraine-UK Defense Technology Forum, organized by the Royal United Services Institute - April 25, 2025)
It is a great honor for me to be here again, at the British analytical center, which specializes in the field of international security and military issues. Today we will talk about them. Today this is extremely important.
First, I think everyone in this room has understood that we live in a time of global change. The reason for this is not me, who commented on these changes last year at Chatham House, but a number of factors that have surfaced in the 21st century. Specifically: the war in Ukraine, which was not only the bloodiest act of violence in Europe, but also the engine of many forces that led to a change in the world order. This change has already occurred. And it does not depend on whether modern politicians want to see it or not.
Secondly, in a world that has already changed and continues to change, beyond the will of these same politicians, the global security system has also changed. It is transforming not only because the geopolitical space is changing, but also because the very power that this security system was based on has changed because of the war in Ukraine.
Whether you want to believe it or not, whether you have contracts for tanks and helicopters for the next 10 years or are just planning to sign them, the essence of military power has already changed. It is a pity that this is well understood in Ukraine, Russia and China, but not at all understood in other places. Today I will not say who they are. This is no longer important.
So, we will talk about modern military technologies. It is obvious that politicians will decide who will need them, except for Ukraine. I will only outline what they are and how they work.
However, I would like to note that now they are most relevant for building Europe's defense capabilities. First of all, due to the ongoing reformatting of the Euro-Atlantic security space.
Let's talk about technology.
The Russo-Ukrainian war completely changed the nature of military operations. One morning in the summer of 2023, when Ukrainian troops were using available doctrines and weapons to overcome enemy defense lines meter by meter, drones appeared in the sky - on a scale that transformed the entire architecture of combat operations.
Reconnaissance, strike drones, drones that serve artillery fire, combined with a situational awareness system, made the battlefield completely transparent. All this provided unlimited opportunities for high-precision strikes at the tactical level.
Gradually, as in the First World War, this war came to a standstill. Later, in 2024, the rapid development of scientific and technological progress led to a situation in which drones hit targets not only in front of the front line, but also in operational depth. This made it impossible to have any equipment, firepower, and reserves - even behind the front line.
Today, precision strikes on logistics routes have become commonplace. Moreover, such strikes are now part of the tactics of pushing out positions.
Thus, due to absolute transparency, a 10-15-kilometer death zone has been created in front of the front line. It is no longer surprising when a drone searches not for a group target or armored object, but even for an individual soldier. By the way, this zone is constantly expanding, as is the probability of being killed in it.
Why did this become possible? I will repeat again, the reasons for this are:
First, the rapid development of radio-electronic warfare (EW) means. It was thanks to the development of EW that the ability of satellite technologies, radio- and GPRS-guided munitions to deliver precision strikes at the operational level was equalized. The effectiveness of expensive missiles and precision-guided shells dropped to zero.
Second, a large number of visual reconnaissance means and strike drones appeared on the battlefield at the tactical and operational levels.
As a result, tactics and operational art underwent significant changes.
At the operational level, the war is at a standstill. Deep maneuvers or strikes in operational depth have become impossible. This is largely due to the fact that the confrontation between unmanned systems, on the one hand, and EW and air defense systems, on the other, continues. This means that classic offensive operations and offensive actions have not only lost their effectiveness, but have become almost suicidal.
Over time, even the offensive actions of small, highly mobile and technologically equipped tactical groups, tightly coordinated with situational awareness, support, EW and air defense systems, have become ineffective.
Therefore, I can confidently say that:
1. Thanks to unmanned systems and digital technologies, the familiar traditional weapons that have determined the nature of military operations for decades have become history. They are no longer there.
2. Armored vehicles, which have been the mainstay of offensive operations since 1915, have become vulnerable to cheap drones, which is why their use in other types of combat is now impossible.
3. High-precision weapons that used GPRS positioning have lost their effectiveness due to the development of electronic warfare.
4. Air defense is undergoing perhaps the greatest transformation. The emergence of a large number of small and cheap drones has made it economically inexpedient to use extremely expensive missiles for air defense systems.
5. The airspace above the battlefield has become inaccessible to manned aircraft, turning them into an auxiliary means of air defense. Aviation must be modernized and be able to conduct reconnaissance and strike from completely different distances.
6. The sea space is gradually being taken over by naval drones. Now powerful ships are hiding in protected ports.
These are not just technologies. All this requires a complete rethinking of forms and methods. It is necessary to revise the military doctrine. This, in turn, will lead to a revision of the principles of organization of the armed forces and, ultimately, of defense planning.
I do not know how much time you will need for this, distinguished guests. I believe that for our enemies this process will take no more than three years, and taking into account the scale - five.
It is obvious that victory on the battlefield now depends entirely on the ability to outstrip the enemy in technological development. It is very important that changes occur along the chain “science (development) - production - application“. It is between the effective interaction between them that innovation growth will depend. Manufacturers must be flexible and adaptable, ready to make changes to their hardware solutions at any time. If these hardware solutions are regulated by the state bureaucracy or by corrupt interests, the chain will be interrupted and the enemy will have an advantage. That is why we must be ready to modify products to meet the conditions for use on the battlefield. Of course, it is necessary to pay attention to:
1. The development of artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies. It is obvious that the speed of implementation of artificial intelligence technologies on the battlefield, especially in the management of complex processes in the field of intelligence, planning, control, fire and autonomous combat systems (without human control), will provide a qualitative and quantitative advantage.
2. Solutions in the field of electronic warfare. They are perhaps the most important. In essence, it is necessary to solve two extremely important tasks: to create a digital field of application and to protect against enemy influence. And this, of course, means searching for new communication technologies. For example, cognitive radio. There are already such developments. It is also important to find new ways of navigation and additional guidance. Developing new methods of data transmission that go beyond the radio frequency spectrum.
3. Development of cheap, high-precision unmanned systems with a long range of action. This is necessary to increase the ability to systematically destroy the enemy's infrastructure, exhaust its air defense systems and carry out combined attacks on important objects.
4. Development and production of drones (robots) as a component of the main combat capabilities. The Russian-Ukrainian war taught states an important lesson: waging a war that involves exchanging human lives for tactical success is no longer affordable. In modern warfare, man is an extremely expensive resource. A resource that cannot be renewed. Technologies are what make it possible to maintain combat effectiveness while radically reducing losses.
Therefore, we must develop:
- attack drones, which have proven their exceptional effectiveness, especially in conditions of shortage of artillery ammunition;
- reconnaissance drones;
- anti-aircraft drones;
- ground-based unmanned systems;
- universal combat platforms;
- maritime unmanned systems;
5. Civilian or dual-use technologies have reached such a level of sophistication that today they are the basis of combat capabilities. These include:
- the use of commercial satellite systems for reconnaissance purposes;
- the use of three-dimensional printing for the rapid production of spare parts and components of military equipment in “domestic“ conditions;
- use of social networks for intelligence gathering;
- creation of improvised EW systems from commercially available components for jamming communications and control of enemy drones;
- use of civilian messengers with end-to-end encryption for data exchange;
- use of cloud solutions.
By the way, this is already enabling small players with limited resources - individual countries, agencies and even divisions - to achieve impressive results with relatively cheap asymmetric solutions.
In conclusion, the revolution in military technologies based on unmanned systems and artificial intelligence has completely changed the nature of war and continues to develop. Therefore, the speed of innovation directly increases the ability of a state to win the war.
In the future high-tech war, the one who adapts to the technological conditions of the battlefield faster than the enemy will probably win. The country that is the first to systematically and efficiently make the transition to another military-technological level will gain an unconditional strategic advantage and will impose its will on the other side.
As long as the enemy has the resources, forces and means to strike at our territory and try to take offensive actions, he will do so. This is a war of attrition.
The current geopolitical situation also contributes to this. No one today can stop the enemy from doing this.
Only the complete destruction of the very ability to wage war, i.e. of military and economic potential, can put an end to this. The destruction of the latter calls into question even the presence of occupation troops in the occupied territory.
In any case, the architecture of the strategy for survival and victory at this stage is possible only through the construction of a new military-technological system. All this must be done within the current technological cycle, which can last no more than 3-5 years.
In the international arena, the way out of the situation we are talking about today is not only to adapt to new challenges, but also to form a new global security reality, in which Ukraine will be included as an equal and active participant. Ukraine is no longer just an object of support - we have become a source of experience, technologies and solutions that are of strategic importance for the entire civilized world.
It is not just about supporting Ukraine - it is a matter of joint readiness for a new era of warfare, where technology, information and automation of decisions dominate. The Ukrainian experience has become unique - we were the first to have to rebuild our army, industry and strategy in response to challenges that others are only now beginning to realize.
These challenges are not just for Ukraine. They are challenges for everyone. Global security is no longer based on old guarantees - it is built on dynamics, technology and a willingness to change. We have made our choice and every day we pay a high price for it, but in return we have the chance to survive. And we invite you to make this choice together with us. Not only to resist, but also to win. And not only today, but in everything that lies ahead. "
Translation: Stefan Stanchev/ Facebook