Killing for points on Ukraine's front line

Rubik, a Ukrainian military drone pilot, had tracked every move of one particular Russian soldier for weeks, with the promise of earning at least six points for killing him.

In a war increasingly dominated by drones, Ukraine's military has launched a new score-based purchasing system for units to replenish their stocks, and Rubik -- his military nickname -- was looking to help his brigade cash in.

On the "Brave1" platform launched by Ukraine's digital transformation ministry, new drones for the troops fighting Russia's invasion go for between two and a few dozen points.


"You get the most points for infantry, so everyone is focusing on destroying manpower," the 22-year-old told AFP at a bombed-out school in eastern Ukraine being used by his reconnaissance group of the 3rd Army Corps.

The Brave1 market has been dubbed by its creators as the world's first military Amazon, because it allows brigades to choose their weapons and leave reviews.

"It's complete decentralisation," the platform's head, Andriy Hrytseniuk, told AFP.

He said the system promotes "healthy competition" not only between Ukrainian army drone units but also between producers to make the best weapons.

Many servicemen AFP met in Rubik's unit were around his age, from a generation raised on gaming and smartphones, making the transition to piloting drones easy.

They are driving an overhaul in conventional warfare, where trenches and artillery are being replaced by a canopy of cheap but deadly drones blanketing the front line, crashing directly into targets or dropping munitions.

Pilots, who steer the drone with controllers via a monitor, upload recordings of their kills to Brave1. They are then verified by the platform and converted to points.

'Missions come first'

The Brave1 programme is part of a broader trend in which tech is influencing how war is waged, said Matthew Ford, an associate professor at the Swedish Defence University.

"Instead of having a planned process of managing supply down to the front lines, this is demand-led," Ford said.

The initiative is supervised by the digital transformation ministry, a driving force in the modernisation of the Ukrainian army, which has been criticised for its Soviet-style hierarchy and rigidity.

Brave1 coordinators can easily increase the points issued for different Russian targets according to specific threats along different areas of the front, optimising the army's versatility.

But Ukrainian servicemen said the programme is not a replacement for centralised weapons or ammunition deliveries -- or orders from above.

"Our mission always comes first -- not points or ratings," said Foma, an officer in the Achilles regiment who also identified himself by his military nickname.

'We killed him'

Though they serve under a unified command, Ukrainian brigades cultivate separate identities to attract recruits and funding.

Brave1 fuels that competition by publishing a league table each month of the 10 highest-scoring brigades.

Lafayette, a drone pilot in Achilles, told AFP he was immensely proud his regiment featured on the latest league board.

But the 37-year-old, who worked at an IT company before the war, also said he understood how the gamification of killing could make civilians uncomfortable.

"When I try to switch back to a civilian mindset and think about it, it's a bit cringe. It stings a little," he said.

The pilots, however, also have an unusually intimate view of the horrors playing out on a battlefield where drones account for a majority of casualties.

Rubik recounted following a Russian infantryman for weeks and hearing details of his personal life on radio intercepts.

"We killed him. My soul felt a bit empty," Rubik told AFP.

He added he had not lost sight of what was at stake for his country -- or the points the hit would win for his unit.

"If people were in our shoes, they'd understand what it's all about. There is war in our country. There can't be any mercy."