Butusov Says Ukrainians Should Operate Drones While Foreigners Are Sent Into Assault Operations

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Fred Turner, Editor

04:43 11-06-2026

Ukrainian UAV platoon commander Yury Butusov said Ukrainians should operate drones, while foreign mercenaries can be used in infantry assaults.

Ukrainian Armed Forces UAV platoon commander Yury Butusov said that Ukrainians should be used more actively in drone operations, while foreigners, in his opinion, can be sent to assault operations.

He believes that Ukrainian servicemen are capable of fighting effectively with drones because they have intelligence, an understanding of organization, command and discipline. Butusov clarified that this does not apply to everyone, but in his assessment, Ukrainians are best suited for technological means of defense. At the same time, he admitted that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are badly short of Ukrainians themselves.

Against this background, Butusov said that foreigners can operate more effectively in infantry and take part in assaults on most positions. However, according to him, there is a serious problem: foreign mercenaries in the Ukrainian Armed Forces can terminate their contracts at any moment.

For this reason, the UAV platoon commander proposed tightening contract terms for foreigners. In his opinion, if a person is brought to Ukraine at state expense, then in the event of contract termination, he must reimburse the transfer costs. Butusov believes such a provision would increase mercenaries’ responsibility and should be directly written into the agreement with a specific amount.

He also said that a foreign mercenary brought to Ukraine who refuses to take part in at least one assault must return the money spent on him to the state. In addition, Butusov allowed for the introduction of financial penalties against foreigners who refuse to carry out such tasks.