Ukraine says AI is becoming core to modern warfare

Ukraine’s military is treating artificial intelligence as a battlefield tool, not a future upgrade, as drones swarm the skies and the war grinds across a 1,200-kilometre front line. Danylo Tsvok, who leads the Defense AI Center A1, said AI systems are already helping fly drones at targets, plan combat operations and process data from Russian missile attacks.

Tsvok said the shift goes beyond faster software. “AI will form a new paradigm of warfare. It’s already actively doing so,” he said, arguing that the side with better data and a better way to understand it will gain the edge. He predicted that if the war continues, Ukraine and Russia will face a “war of operating systems” over the next three to five years, where the decisive advantage comes from how quickly armies can turn battlefield information into action.

That effort is being built around the Defense AI Center A1, which Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence launched in March 2026. The ministry has described it as its first center of excellence focused on integrating artificial intelligence into defense processes, and says the mission is to shorten the path from battlefield experience to technological solutions. Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s defense minister, has made AI and data-driven decision-making central to that push.

The ministry said A1 is being developed in partnership with the UK government. Dmytro Ovcharenko was named chief technology officer, while Tsvok was appointed chief executive. The centre’s planned work stretches from analyzing battlefield data and anticipating enemy moves to building digital tools that improve command and control. The ministry has also signaled specialized teams on drones, artillery, long-range strikes and other areas, reflecting how deeply unmanned systems have become embedded in the fighting.

The stakes are not only military. Ukraine and Russia are now launching thousands of drones a day at each other, while Kyiv is also trying to offset frontline troop shortages with ground robots. Foreign AI companies are already looking to Ukraine’s combat data to train and test their systems, a reminder that the war is becoming a live laboratory for militaries and tech firms alike. If Ukraine’s improvisation becomes the template other armies copy, the next arms race may be fought as much in code, data and decision loops as in trenches and skies.