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Ukraine has introduced an incentive program intended to encourage soldiers to target Russian forces. The Ukrainian military rewards servicemembers with points for verified kills or destruction of equipment, which can be exchanged for advanced technology from an online marketplace.
Initiative of Ukrainian Armed Forces
Military personnel can accumulate points by confirming the elimination of Russian combatants or the annihilation of their hardware. These points are then redeemable for high-tech items such as drones and other offensive tools via the Brave1 Market, an online platform described as an “Amazon” for military tech.
Brave1 Market: Belarus Weaponry
The Brave1 Market, unveiled this week by Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s minister of digital transformation, presents an array of unmanned aircraft, ground robots, and electronic warfare systems.
Units can efficiently secure essential gear through the site. The platform, operates similarly to Amazon, but rather than daily essentials, it offers the latest in unmanned military systems.
Verification and Reward System
- Military units amass points for confirmed encounters with enemy soldiers or weaponry
- Verification is achieved through drone footage uploading to a military intelligence network.
- Points vary based on the target, with six points for an enemy combatant and 40 for a tank.
These points can then be traded for military supplies available on the Brave1 Market.
Enhancing Military Operations
Fedorov remarked that the marketplace will streamline procedures for developers and the military. Units can easily select suitable technologies, compare various equipment, and directly negotiate with manufacturers for procurement.
The platform remedies the lack of awareness among units about available technology, offering over 1,000 different types of technology. The catalog includes a wide variety from drones, cameras, and engines to electronic warfare devices.
Unit Participation and Benefits
Soldiers at the forefront of the battle, operating small reconnaissance drones, are particularly benefiting from the points system due to the increased frequency of missions.
For instance fighters like Alex Eine of the Separate Presidential Brigade, known in English as the “Birds of Fury,” frequently utilizes drones called Backfire to strike from behind the front lines. Backfire packs of three can be acquired on the market, but the required points are not specified.
Rebates and Costs
Local media has priced a well-used explosives-laden drone called “Baba Yaga” at 43 points, The Ukrainian government funds these orders and supplies them to the respective units.
Units like Magyar’s Birds have accumulated over 16,000 points, allowing them to purchase large quantities of drones. Additionally, the market identifies top-performing units with high combat points, such as the 59th Separate Assault Brigade and the 3rd Special Purpose Regiment.