How Ukraine’s Da Vinci Wolves Are Rewriting the Rules of War: Military Tech Discussion at Ukraine House in Denmark

Remembering Dmytro Kotsiubailo “Da Vinci”

The discussion opened with a reflection on Hero of Ukraine Dmytro Kotsiubailo, call sign Da Vinci, the battalion’s first commander. His story is deeply intertwined with the history of Ukraine’s modern struggle for sovereignty. Many of the battalion’s founding members were teenagers during the Revolution of Dignity in 2014, among the first volunteers to defend Ukraine when Russia first launched aggression:

“[He] was one of the first to go to Donbas to confront the evil that had descended upon our country. It is no exaggeration to say that it was thanks to people [like Dmytro] that Ukraine survived.”

Dmytro was described as embodying selfless leadership, someone who personally confronted danger while ensuring the safety of his comrades. His death near Bakhmut in early 2023, caused by a cluster munition after he had secured the safety of his team, was emblematic of the enormous sacrifices Ukraine’s defenders have made. 

The audience was reminded that his life—and death—exemplified the human cost of war, and framed the evening’s focus on the critical role of technology. For the Da Vinci Wolves, robotics and unmanned systems are not abstract innovations; they are tools designed to preserve life, prevent needless loss, and allow soldiers to operate with greater safety under extreme conditions. Dmytro’s legacy underscored that behind every technological advancement lies a fundamental human imperative: to save lives and maintain the resilience of Ukraine’s defense forces.

The Drone Revolution

For decades, mechanized combat followed predictable patterns, with infantry, artillery, and armored units clashing along fixed front lines. This predictability ended with the arrival of small, commercially available drones, such as the DJI Mavic series, often called “wedding drones” by soldiers. These relatively inexpensive platforms allowed Ukrainian forces to observe enemy movements, identify armored units, and coordinate precision strikes long before the enemy could reach their positions:

“Now we see enemy armor 10 kilometers away, long before it reaches our lines,” explained one commander. “Artillery destroys them before they can even fire. This changed everything.”

Data presented at the event revealed staggering Russian losses, with peaks of up to 1,500 troops per day in late 2024, largely due to drone-guided artillery strikes. Yet Oleksandr Yabchanka emphasized that these advantages have been inherently temporary: as the battlefield evolved, the enemy adapted. Every technological leap requires rapid iteration and adaptation, meaning that superiority is never static. “Technology on the front line changes very quickly, literally every six months,” he noted, highlighting that innovation must be continuous, or the cost in lives and equipment becomes severe. The audience came away with a clear understanding that the promise of drones and robotic systems lies not in permanent dominance but in creating windows of advantage that must be leveraged intelligently and swiftly.

Robotics on the Battlefield

The discussion then moved to the role of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) in Ukraine’s defense strategy. These systems now perform a wide range of critical functions: delivering ammunition, evacuating the wounded, retrieving damaged drones, and even performing recovery operations under fire. Yabchanka stressed that in today’s war, exposure for even a few seconds can be fatal, making robotics an essential component for preserving human life. For example, he showed a video of how UGV retrieved the body of a fallen soldier, sparing comrades from exposure to enemy fire. 

Roman Tkachenko, Co-founder and CBDO at Ukrainian military technology company Tencore, described how his company, founded in 2023, already employs over 200 people who are providing drones to the battlefield. Yet he admitted the scale of the challenge is enormous.

This robotic presence in warfare has become a future where robots fight other robots. And in Ukraine, it is now happening. He warned that the scale of this transformation depends heavily on resources and international support, and today the Ukrainian military still lacks support. His message was clear: Ukraine’s defenders believe in this technology, but scaling it requires urgent investment:

“Believe in Ukraine as we are believing, believe in our defenders as we are believing, and believe in the Ukrainian business we are working with. Together we could defend not only Ukraine, because this war is not only about Ukraine. It’s beyond us. You can help, you can join, and we could do history together.”

Oleksii Markhovskii, Co-founder and CPO of Frontline, highlighted that at his company, the goal is to integrate multiple systems so they work seamlessly together. Speed and precision are essential: seconds—and even milliseconds—can decide life or death. That’s why their technology eliminates delays and human error, allowing coordinates and decisions to be transmitted almost instantly.

He described the rapid evolution of both air and ground robotic systems. Ukrainian forces first faced a massive demand for drones, especially as Russia adapted with powerful electronic warfare. This forced Ukrainian engineers to redesign connectivity from scratch so their drones and ground robots could survive in a contested environment. Now, they can remotely control systems deep behind enemy lines—sometimes from 40 kilometers away—launching grenades and correcting fire automatically with the help of robotics and ballistic calculators.

Finally, Oleksiy emphasized that Europe should learn from Ukraine’s experience: “Old arsenals alone are not enough—victory requires affordable, mobile, and unmanned systems at scale. When used together, they can resist even massive waves of Russian attacks, shifting the balance in modern warfare.”

Lessons for Europe and the Future

Oleksandr Yabchanka also addressed the broader implications of Ukraine’s experience for Europe and the wider world: “Artificial intelligence, unmanned systems, and rapid technological adaptation are no longer optional; they are essential. Europe must accelerate its development of mobile, scalable, and affordable unmanned systems to prevent the lessons learned in Ukraine from being exploited by authoritarian states.” 

Yabchanka highlighted two pervasive misconceptions in public and policy discussions: first, that the slow daily advance of Russian forces can be mitigated simply by the terrain itself; in reality, it is the defenders and their ability to utilize human and technological resources that determine the effective progress of an aggressor. Second, the belief that if Ukraine can hold back Russia for years using mostly outdated NATO weapons, then Russia would never dare attack NATO with its far newer equipment. This is false because military strength depends on the use of the new generation of technology and the ability to use it effectively, not on how new the weapons look. The war has shifted into the era of drones and unmanned systems, where both Ukraine and Russia are gaining experience faster than many NATO countries.

Ukraine’s defense industry has grown 14-fold since 2022, producing millions of drones annually, but Russia remains a formidable competitor, rapidly incorporating innovations into its military doctrine. Yabchanka urged Europe to recognize that investing in defense-industrial capacity is not a matter of ambition but survival, as authoritarian states are learning lessons quickly and applying them in ways democracies often lag. Ukraine, having transitioned from infantry-based operations to technology-driven defense out of necessity, is prepared to share its battlefield experience and technological solutions with European partners before it is too late.

The evening concluded with a powerful message: the future of warfare is being written in Ukraine, and the world must pay attention. 

Ukraine House in Denmark expresses its gratitude to all participants for sharing expertise and frontline experience. The event demonstrates how courage, innovation, and technological urgency are not only shaping Ukraine’s defense but also redefining modern security for Europe and the world.