The Drone General: Why Russia Fears Ukraine’s Madyar
As Kyiv appoints its top FPV tactician to lead the UAV branch, Russian Z-channels react with panic — and self-reflection.
The Z-bloggers’ Topic of the Day Isn’t the Frontline, but a Very Sad Piece of News for Them: The Most Competent Commander in the Ukrainian Army Has Been Appointed Head of the Drone Forces
Russian military commentators are far more preoccupied today with a reshuffle in the Ukrainian command than with battlefield developments — and for good reason. One of Ukraine’s most effective and respected officers, Robert Brovdi ("Madyar"), has been appointed as the Commander of the UAV Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Russian sources are sounding the alarm:
“Robert Brovdi ("Madyar") has been appointed Commander of the UAV Forces of the AFU. From private to commander in just over three years — now that’s a career. A rare case where someone is promoted purely for competence.
This is an extremely sh*tty appointment for us. The guy really knows his drones,” — Southern Front.“The enemy has a reshuffle in army command... Madyar, who until now led the 414th Independent UAV Brigade — one of the largest formations in the Ukrainian drone command — is now in charge of the entire drone force.
It’s actually a very important piece of news. The enemy is promoting its top UAV specialist, someone who made a big impact on our forces,” — Dead Heads.“Madyar’s appointment fits right into Ukraine’s Drone Line concept — deploying thousands of FPV crews evenly across the front, extending the permanent control zone dozens of kilometers from the line of contact,” — Dead Heads continued.
“That’s why the commander of the largest formation was just promoted. But more importantly: Madyar joined the Territorial Defense Forces in February 2022 — just before the war — and rose to become the head of an entire branch.
The Ukrainian system actually allows for this kind of merit-based promotion. Maybe it doesn’t encourage it much, but at least it leaves the door open.
Now show me one example on our side where a competent commander who fought in the trenches was promoted to a top army position — equal to those who had cushy posts long before the ‘special operation’ began.”“Madyar’s dogs are the biggest threat wherever they’re deployed. Our guys say it gets easier to breathe once they’re rotated out,” — Soldier of Fortune.
“Even though Madyar is a sadist, killer, and Russophobe, he’s also a top-tier manager in the FPV field. That means this promotion makes the AFU stronger,” — Zhivoff Z.
“Maybe in a few years we’ll finally create our own FPV forces, with proper TO&Es, equipment, and protocols. And maybe a few years after that, we’ll even buy drones that actually fly. Then we’ll win. Amen.”“Honestly, it’s not great news. Because you have to admit, the unit under his command works very effectively,” — Belarusian Silovik.
“This is bad. And not because he got the post — but because the enemy has learned to identify and promote the young and the best, and isn’t afraid of them,” — Roman Saponkov.
“Given that Ukraine is now impl
ementing the Drone Line project, which envisions an FPV drone strike zone 10–20 km deep, this appointment looks pretty dangerous,” — Military Informant.
“He wasn’t even a career officer. He was a businessman. At the start of the war, he was a platoon commander in an assault company of the 28th Mech Brigade.
Today, by order of Zelensky, he’s the commander of an entire military branch.
We can hate or criticize the [Ukrainians], but here’s the question: could a lieutenant mobilized in 2022 become, by 2025, a branch commander in our army — and deservedly so, based on his actual results? No,” — Two Majors.
Squeaky Bum time among the Z-Bloggers