For its part, Russia adapted to Ukraine's growing use of drones along the front by deploying electronic warfare systems at scale. "Autonomous systems or satellite communications enabled systems are the future." He compared manually controlled first-person-view drones to muskets, while autonomous drones are the equivalent of rifled rifles. Earlier in the war, many companies rushed to develop autonomous systems and sold upgrades to frontline units that often failed in combat, eroding trust in the technology. “It's important that autonomous systems are priced proportionally to the drone itself,” added Azhnyuk.