Ukraine's 'Army of Drones Bonus' ignites ethical debate
The Ukrainian army has introduced a point system where combat effectiveness is measured by the number of destroyed targets. For many, this is an innovation—units receive drones in exchange for neutralizing the opponent. For others, it's a concerning shift in viewing humans as mere targets. "Whether we like it or not, we have to assess facts, not dreams," said General Bogusław Pacek in an interview with WP Tech.
War is changing before our eyes, but one thing remains constant—the need for motivation. The Ukrainian army has introduced a system called the Army of Drones Bonus. The concept is simple: in exchange for neutralizing the enemy, a unit receives points. Soldiers can earn 6 points for hitting a soft target, 20 for damaging a tank, 40 for destroying it, and up to 50 points for destroying a mobile missile system. Successful attacks, documented with video footage, reward units with new weaponry. According to Ukrainian forces commanders, this strategy is intended to increase front-line effectiveness and ensure smaller units have the opportunity to receive new equipment.
The e-point system is just part of Ukraine's strategy
The Army of Drones Bonus project was launched by the Ukrainian Ministry of Digital Transformation at the end of 2024 and is part of a strategy aimed at decentralizing management. The plans are ambitious, as the bonus system is set to be integrated with Brave1 Market—a shopping platform launched by the Ukrainian government in April 2025. This idea, sometimes referred to as the "military Amazon," aims to connect units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine directly with manufacturers of advanced military technologies.
The Ukrainian military believes this solution will motivate soldiers to effectively combat the enemy. However, a point system in wartime conditions could significantly alter soldiers' internal motivation, leading them to calculate the value of each action, which promotes the commodification of violence. The psychological effects of rewarding violence are difficult to determine, but the idea itself is not new.
Similar systems have appeared before
Gratification systems of this type (or similar ones) have been used in military actions before. Currently, the Russian Federation employs a financial motivation system in the war in Ukraine. Both commanders and rank-and-file soldiers receive additional pay for striking tanks, airplanes, or destroying enemy forces.
Motivational system and patriotic upbringing
A point system in wartime conditions can significantly change soldiers' internal motivation. Instead of acting out of a sense of duty, loyalty to comrades, or the defense of homeland, soldiers may start calculating the value of each action. This promotes effective counteraction to the enemy's violence. General Bogusław Pacek emphasizes that the best results come from patriotic education and understanding tasks and being convinced of their righteousness. However, remuneration and motivational systems are playing an increasingly important role in conflicts.
General Bogusław Pacek adds that experience from military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, where soldiers received increased pay for participating in patrols outside the base, indicates that soldiers were more willing to undertake higher-risk actions.
Point-based rewards for "neutralizing" the enemy encourage treating opponents not as human beings but as targets that bring benefits. This is a classic dehumanization mechanism known from conflicts with high brutality. Such a reward system can weaken moral brakes, especially in less experienced soldiers. Moreover, functioning in such realities can potentially hinder reintegration into civilian life. If a soldier has operated in a system where their value was measured by the number of "effective actions" for which they received "grades" and rewards, returning to everyday life, where such metrics do not exist, can lead to confusion or even social alienation.
Is war starting to resemble a simulation?
Due to the nature of attacks, soldiers might perceive themselves as not killing people but characters. This can result in a distorted perception of a conflict in which citizens of both countries are dying. Media often liken this strategy to a game, yet it is an element of next-generation warfare—a war where new technology plays a strategic role. As Dr. Katarzyna Derlatka from the University of Łódź emphasizes, the war currently occurs on many levels. It is not only a hybrid war but also a digital one, necessitating unconventional methods.
A soldier motivated by gratification becomes task-oriented, can compete, and feel needed. This benefits individuals and entire groups. The new mechanism of waging war, however, eliminates empathy. With progress, war often seems like a cruel digital illusion: drone pilots target enemy drones, thus increasing distance and depersonalizing the horrors of war.
Introducing a point system in the Ukrainian army, while potentially enhancing operational effectiveness and motivating units to act, raises a range of serious ethical, psychological, and social questions. The line between efficiency and dehumanization becomes blurred, and armed conflict increasingly resembles a digital simulation, where real human life is reduced to a target for elimination.
