Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Conversation
The Conversation
Md Azmeary Ferdoush, Lecturer in Human Geography, Loughborough University

How warfare has been ‘gamified’ in Ukraine

Ukrainian military personnel operate a drone from an undisclosed location in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. lev radin / Shutterstock

Where can you score 12 points for killing a Russian soldier in a drone attack, 20 for damaging a tank and up to 50 for destroying a mobile rocket system? Not on the latest video game, but rather through Ukraine’s Army of Drones Bonus (ADB) programme.

Launched shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022, before being revamped in 2025, the ADB programme is where points win prizes. Military units can use the points and virtual tokens they have accrued to buy drones and other frontline equipment to use in the conflict from the Ukrainian government’s Brave1 website.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.