Last fall, Ukraine’s former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces — now serving as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United Kingdom — warned in The Economist that the Western world must pay close attention to emerging technologies and artificial intelligence. After all, modern hybrid wars are no longer about invincible armored armadas or cinematic charges across open fields with light weapons in the style of a Spielberg blockbuster.Today, everything is concise yet effective: at the right moment, a swarm of drones appears over an airport, a military base, a government quarter, or critical infrastructure. Suddenly, no one is flying to Mallorca, the military is in shock, and doubts emerge about whether NATO’s Article 5 even works. Governments slip into hysteria and cold sweats, struggling to explain to their populations that the old sense of security is gone — and that leaders must meet at least once every five years to reassess.Russia and China know exactly what they are doing. Their aim is to spread chaos among the countries that are genuinely helping Ukraine in this war. By manipulating public opinion, they want to instill a simple idea: that it is time to stop helping Ukrainians, because one’s own comfort — one’s own “fashionable checkered shirt” — is closer to the heart.In a new article, Zaluzhnyi described the real situation on the front lines — and it is difficult precisely because the Russians have mastered the use of drones in just over a year. The result is a blurred front line: 80% of personnel and equipment losses now come from UAV strikes, and even the rear — up to 40 kilometers deep — can no longer be considered safe.Read also: Kursk operation came at “extremely high” price — Ukraine’s former commander ZaluzhnyiWhy have the Russians succeeded?First, they mobilized their scientists to improve military solutions. For example, during the Kursk operation, they made extensive use of fiber optics. From that moment on, drones stopped being just a supporting tool for artillery and missile forces. Now Russia has the capacity to break free from purely positional warfare and gain the upper hand. But the greatest problem is that these technologies enable Russia to mow down our most valuable resource — our infantry.So the question of how to remove people from the 20-kilometer kill zone and replace them with robotic systems is now more urgent than ever.In a recent article, General Zaluzhnyi stresses that cooperation with our allies and partners is the foundation of healthy security alliances. From my sources, Western partners are less interested in Ukrainian drones as such than in the people who can deliver concrete solutions — experts who know precisely where and how Russia can be outflanked. It’s quite possible we will be hunting for those brains; in return, our partners may provide the industrial capacity.Second, Zaluzhnyi hints at the need for a national-level program to develop advanced technologies. We are now paying the price for the rather infantile remarks about “wedding drones” at the start of the full-scale invasion and for allowing people into this critical sphere who should never have been involved. When even a constructive and generally moderate volunteer and public figure like Serhiy Sternenko writes that up to 60% of FPVs purchased by the state are either completely unusable or require serious modifications, this is more than a criticism — it is a diagnosis. It is, in fact, shooting ourselves in the foot. To quote Serhiy directly: “Once again: more than half of the 2 million FPVs from the state are unusable and are sitting in warehouses. How much is that in money? Billions.” Now imagine how hundreds of thousands of serviceable drones could have changed the situation on the front line in Ukraine’s favor.Zaluzhnyi emphasizes that the problem of access to microchips must be solved urgently. At present, they can be sourced from China, Taiwan, and the United States. China, however, is out of the question, as it is exploiting the current war to buy up Russia wholesale and retail. That leaves the U.S. and Taiwan. And it is clear that discussions must be framed in terms of business and profit — because lofty speeches about values no longer suffice.Read also: Strike drones cause nearly 80% of battlefield losses — Ukrainian former top commanderThe general — now ambassador — also raises a separate but equally important issue: mobilizing specialists with software expertise. It is no secret that within the ranks of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, such people are often assigned to anything but their actual profession. At times, they are even used thoughtlessly as infantry — with the tragic result that a skilled IT specialist might be killed by a drone in the Pokrovsk sector, instead of developing effective technological solutions.So, the moral of Zaluzhnyi’s analysis is straightforward: the hype of the early years of the war no longer works. Shutting out professionals and scientists when it comes to frontline solutions is self-defeating.But to change this, we first need to shed illusions. No one will be rushing to the polls tomorrow — not until we create conditions where electoral districts aren’t scattered along the front line. And no less important, the war must become a burden for Russia, not a tool of intimidation and blackmail against a frightened West.This war cannot be won with godparents, showbiz friends from Kvartal, or webcam models who suddenly discover a business in anti-drone nets and fortifications. History is blunt: World War II began with short-sighted decisions like these — and ended with nuclear bombs and cruise missiles. Which means that now, finally, it’s time to call in real professionals, not the tranquilizers of daytime talk shows.Exclusively for EspresoAbout the author: Marina Danyluk-Yarmolaeva, journalistThe editorial team does not always share the opinions expressed by blog authors.