The use of drones in Ukraine has a long and complicated history. It all started in the early 2000s when the Ukrainian military began experimenting with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for reconnaissance purposes. These early drones were simple and relatively inexpensive, but they proved to be effective in gathering intelligence on enemy positions and movements.
As the conflict in eastern Ukraine escalated in 2014, the Ukrainian military began to rely more heavily on drones for surveillance and targeting. The Russian-backed separatists were using sophisticated weapons and tactics, and the Ukrainian military needed every advantage it could get.