The use of unmanned aerial vehicles in modern armed conflict to aggregate battlefield data. Political and military consequences of the Russian-Ukrainian war in the second decade of the 21st century

Abstract

The two sides in the Russian-Ukrainian war, especially since the end of February 2022, have been systematically using innovative solutions to combat the enemy, as well as to protect against it. This activity produces not only military consequences, but also affects the political perception of the conflict itself, including public attitudes. Therefore, it is worth analyzing the political and military implications of the massive use of drones in military operations, especially from the perspective of human potential.

After applying research methods and techniques appropriate to the dynamics of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the answers to the research questions posed suggest that drones, mass used on the battlefield by both sides, have particularly changed the picture of the kinetic confrontation. It has been possible to confirm the thesis that unmanned aerial vehicles (to a lesser extent, naval ones) offer the possibility of acquiring detailed data on battlefield behavior in real time. Thanks to such massive and permanent monitoring, the data accumulated (in big data) and then aggregated provide the possibility of inference, through which the effectiveness of ongoing warfare, both defensive and attacking, is increased. The experiences, recorded on audiovisual materials, will certainly continue to be used by the superpowers, other states and armed groups, including in the area of shaping human attitudes (e.g., in propaganda).