{"id":70527,"date":"2025-02-18T11:29:58","date_gmt":"2025-02-18T11:29:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2025\/02\/18\/ukrainian-defense-planners-envision-a-drones-only-front-line\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T01:18:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T01:18:19","slug":"ukrainian-defense-planners-envision-a-drones-only-front-line","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/industry\/2025\/02\/18\/ukrainian-defense-planners-envision-a-drones-only-front-line\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukrainian defense planners envision a drones-only front line"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates \u2014 Ukraine has set out the goal of establishing a 15 kilometer unmanned \u201ckill zone\u201d along the front lines, which would see the most advanced Ukrainian drone units deploy a mix of surveillance and strike drones against Russian troops, according to government and defense-industry officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project, dubbed the Drone Line, was announced by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense on Feb 9. According to statements made by Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, it has two core objectives: building a continuous drone reconnaissance capability along the line of defense, and boosting support for and coordination with infantry units to create a kind buffer strip where no troops can move undetected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kyiv\u2019s call for an unmanned buffer zone came before U.S. proclamations saying Ukraine and Europe would largely be bystanders in negotiations between Washington and Moscow aimed at ending the war. High-ranking delegations were set to meet in Ryadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday, though an actual ceasefire could take months to hammer out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mykyta Rozhkov, chief managing officer at the Ukrainian robotics engineering company Frontline, explains that the envisioned zone\u2019s technical specifications are in line with Kyiv\u2019s capability plans for unmanned systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\t