Episode description: From volunteering in March 2022 to whispering in the ear of Ukraine’s High Command and authoring the paper that birthed an entirely new branch of the military, Ukrainian-born Canadian national Illya Sekirin has been at the heart of Ukraine’s drone revolution, which is rewriting the rules of warfare.
We explore the thinking that led President Zelenskyy to create the Unmanned Systems Forces as Ukraine’s fourth armed service, the impact that has had on wider existing frontline forces and the future of “drone blitzkrieg” in which an overwhelming assault of unmanned systems might deliver history.
Illya isn’t just watching the drone revolution – he’s one of the people who built it. His book Rise of the Machines – Drone Warfare in the Russia-Ukraine War: Tactics, Operations, Strategy is out in January and available to pre-order now.
About the podcast: Facing Coming Storms is the new international defence podcast from the British Army’s Centre for Historical Analysis and Conflict Research and the Project for the Study of the 21st Century. From confrontation to conflict, join us each Monday for insightful discussions, conversations and expert analysis. Facing Coming Storms is produced by Urban Podcasts.
