Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in February that Kyiv would create a new branch of Kyiv's military, known as the Unmanned Systems Forces, dedicated exclusively to drone warfare. "Drones, unmanned systems, have proven their effectiveness in battles on land, in the sky and at sea," the Ukrainian leader said.

Russia unleashed a new barrage of drones and missiles on Ukraine overnight, again targeting the energy sector and killing at least one civilian, Ukrainian officials said on Thursday. Ukraine's military said Russian forces had fired 78 attack drones and six missiles over various regions during the hours-long attack.

Ukraine’s air defenses battled an overnight Russian aerial attack on the capital Kyiv for five hours, officials said Thursday, as missiles and drones again hammered the Ukrainian power grid. The Kyiv attack injured at least two people,

Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to warn the West on Wednesday that his nation could use nuclear weapons if it was struck with conventional missiles.