A world-first report into the effectiveness of drones in the Ukraine-Russia war has upended several commonly held views about the role drones play in a modern-day conflict.
A world-first report into the effectiveness of drones in the Ukraine-Russia war has upended several commonly held views about the role drones play in a modern-day conflict.
The Ukraine-Russia war is the first large-scale conflict where both sides have utilised drones extensively, and the two-part report, written by UNSW Canberra’s Dr Oleksandra Molloy, has used first-hand accounts from Ukrainian soldiers and commanders to reveal how rapidly evolving drone technologies are reshaping battlefield dynamics; and not in the ways many expected.
Dr Molloy, who wrote the report for the Australian Army Research Centre, said the findings help cut through the hype and focus attention on what drones can, and cannot, achieve in modern conflict.
“The idea that drones can do everything is simply wrong - they are complementary tools and not replacements for traditional military capabilities. Ukraine shows that drones work best when combined with conventional systems, not when used in isolation,” Dr Molloy said.
The report also dismisses the belief that drones will render soldiers obsolete.
Dr Molloy said the Ukrainian experience underscores that the use of drones increases the demand for human judgement, labour and organisational capacity.
“While drones enhance the ability to ‘find, fix, and strike’ the enemy, they still rely on operators, technical specialists, logistics support, data analysts and commanders for effective deployment,” Dr Molloy said.
“What drones can’t do is hold ground, reassure populations, or make context-rich decisions.
“Drones are military force multipliers, not replacements. They expand what small teams can achieve, but ultimately it is people who win battles, adapt to conditions, and decide how technology is used.”
The report tackles another common claim: that the widespread use of reconnaissance and strike drones has made armoured and large-scale troop movements on the battleground impossible.
“There is no doubt drones have made large, concentrated movements on the battleground more dangerous, but the tactical movement of tanks, infantry carriers, armoured cars and artillery launchers on the battleground is far from obsolete,” Dr Molloy said.
“Armoured and mechanised forces remain essential for breaching enemy lines and holding terrain.”
The report notes that Ukrainian and Russian forces have countered the use of enemy drones through dispersion, deception, decoys, smoke, camouflage, and synchronisation with electronic warfare and other counter‑drone tactics.
“Drones are changing how equipment and troops manoeuvre on a battlefield, not eliminating their movement altogether,” Dr Molloy said.
“Commanders are innovating at extraordinary speed. We’re seeing evolution, not revolution, in how forces manoeuvre under constant aerial surveillance.”
Dr Molloy said battlefield innovation in the Ukraine-Russia war is moving at a pace that has never been seen before.
“The pace of adaptation in Ukraine is measured in weeks, not years,” Dr Molloy said.
“Western militaries, including Australia, need to learn from this agility, because the real lesson isn’t about drones alone but the ability to continuously adapt.
“There is a growing belief in some defence circles that drones alone can dominate future battlefields, but the research I’ve carried out strongly rejects this assumption.”
Through gathering first-hand experience from front-line soldiers and commanders in the Ukrainian Defence Force, the report confirms that drones have undoubtedly changed the character of war, but trench warfare, artillery duels and traditional battleground movements still coexist alongside them.
The report urges defence organisations to abandon outdated assumptions and replace them with evidence‑driven learning processes.
“I’d warn defence organisations that relying on myths, particularly those based on selective footage or anecdotal battlefield clips, can lead to strategic misjudgements,” Dr Moilloy said.
The two-part report forms part of a multi‑year research effort involving Ukrainian and Australian defence experts. Their findings are expected to guide Australian Defence Force thinking on future capability development, force design and operational doctrine.
The report was officially launched at the Drones in Modern Warfare: Lessons Learnt from the War in Ukraine event held in Canberra on 12 March 2026.
The event was attended by the Assistant Minister for Defence, Peter Khalil, the Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Margus Tsahknaalia, and delegates from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence, Ukraine’s defence industry, and the Australian Defence Force, as well as His Excellency Vasyl Myroshnychenko, Ambassador of Ukraine to Australia and New Zealand; Her Excellency Samija Šerifa, Ambassador of the Republic of Latvia to Australia and New Zealand; His Excellency Darius Degutis, Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania to Australia; and His Excellency Jaan Reinhold, Ambassador of Estonia to Australia.
The two-part report can be accessed here: