President Volodymyr Zelensky signed Decree No. 485/2026, establishing June 11 as the Day of Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The document came into force on the day of publication — essentially on the first anniversary of the Forces themselves.

A military branch that didn't exist a year ago

The USB (Unmanned Systems Forces) were officially created on June 11, 2024 — comprising 12 units, without precedent in world military history. The decision was made by the National Security and Defense Council on June 25, 2024, and Zelensky approved it by Decree No. 382/2024. The chain of events began earlier: in February 2024, Decree No. 51/2024 was issued on increasing defense capabilities, in which the General Staff was instructed to develop precisely such a military branch.

First Vice Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, announcing the celebration, emphasized the main point:

"Ukraine was the first in the world to create Unmanned Systems Forces as a separate branch of the military. The USB were the first in the world to demonstrate how non-linear approaches can defeat a nuclear empire."

Yulia Svyrydenko, First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine

Statistics from one year

The USB released statistics that explain the symbolic significance of the date better than any decree:

• 1.65 million combat missions — approximately 5,000 sorties daily
• 350,000 verified, unique targets destroyed
• Every third eliminated occupier and every third destroyed unit of Russian equipment — results of USB operations
• 248 enemy air defense systems destroyed or damaged
• strikes reaching over 1,000 km deep into enemy territory

Why June 11 is not accidental

The date is tied not to an abstract "commemoration," but to the specific day the structure was born. This distinguishes the new day from many other military holidays: the symbolism here is direct — a military branch celebrates its own year of existence as an institutional fact, not as a tradition inherited from the Soviet past.

The decree also contains a formula that has become standard for Zelensky when establishing new dates: "for the purpose of initiating new military traditions" — a hint at the intentional break with the previous symbolism of the armed forces.

Context: drones as an argument in negotiations

The introduction of the holiday occurs against the backdrop of discussions about the future of Ukraine's defense industry in possible peace negotiations. The USB is one of the few military branches where Ukraine has a real technological advantage over Russia. Institutionalization through a separate holiday, statistics, and a presidential decree is also a message to partners: this capability is being built seriously and for the long term.

The question that remains open: will Ukraine manage to transform its tactical advantage in drones into a strategic one — if Russia accelerates its own production of FPV and strike UAVs in 2025–2026 faster than expected?