---
title: "Drones Instead of 'Meat': How Technology is Saving the Ukrainian Armed Forces from a Manpower Shortage"
description: "Ruslan Mikula from DeepState stated that drones saved the AFU from defeat due to a lack of people. 🚁 Without them, the enemy could have simply \"buried\" the front with manpower. But mobilization is still needed — there are not enough volunteers. 🇺🇦"
date: 2026-05-29T11:45:58.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/drones-instead-of-meat-how-technology-is-saving-the-ukrainian-armed-forces-from-a-manpower-shortage
tags: []
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Drones Instead of 'Meat': How Technology is Saving the Ukrainian Armed Forces from a Manpower Shortage

![Ukrainian soldier in protective gear preparing a drone missile for launch against a backdrop of trees and sky](https://xab.info/media/2026/05/29/drony-vmesto-myasa-kak-tehnologii-spasayut-vs-ot-kadrovogo-goloda/soldier-preparing-drone-launcher.webp)

The war in Ukraine has transformed into a conflict where technology has become not just an advantage, but a factor of survival. Ruslan Mikula, co-founder of the DeepState analytical center, voiced a harsh truth: the problem with personnel in the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) remains relevant, but the situation has changed radically due to the mass implementation of unmanned systems.

### Technological Shield Against Numbers

Over the last six months, the shortage of fighters has ceased to be a critical factor capable of collapsing the front. According to experts, the review of the principles of staffing mechanized brigades has borne fruit, although the process is not yet complete. The real salvation has been drones, which have taken on functions that previously required huge human resources.

Mikula did not hide it: without the use of UAVs, the outcome of the war could have been completely different. In the conditions of a classic war, the enemy could simply "bury" positions with manpower, using their numerical superiority. Drones, however, have allowed the creation of effective kill zones and total monitoring of enemy movements.

### New Tactics: Destruction at the Approaches

Unmanned aerial vehicles have radically changed the tactics of conducting hostilities. Now the enemy can be destroyed even at the stage of deployment, not giving him the opportunity to unfold. This allows:

- Effectively conduct reconnaissance in real time;

- Destroy equipment and personnel at a safe distance;

- Maintain defensive lines and assault groups without unnecessary losses.

Technologies have allowed compensating for the lack of personnel, turning every soldier into an operator capable of controlling a huge territory. It is precisely this transformation that allowed the AFU to hold the front, despite the shortage of people.

### Mobilization and the Future

Despite the successes of drones, the question of the human factor remains open. The head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, recently stated the need to continue mobilization, noting that volunteers cannot fully cover the needs of the army. At the same time, Deputy Head of the President's Office, Pavlo Palisa, reported that lowering the mobilization age is not currently being considered.

Thus, Ukraine is forced to find a balance between technological progress and human resources. Drones have become the shield that allowed to withstand, but the war requires people, machines, and technologies simultaneously.