The Armed Forces of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) responded to mass calls from Twitter users to target combat drones at controversial influencer Andrew Tate, who arrived at the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg. He also posted a video in which he, in military uniform, shoots weapons and rides a tank with Russian soldiers.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) responded to mass calls from Twitter users to target combat drones at controversial influencer Andrew Tate, who arrived at the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg. He also posted a video in which he, in military uniform, shoots weapons and rides a tank with Russian soldiers.
The reason for the discussion between SBS and X users (Twitter) was the visit of Andrew Tate (a former kickboxer and one of the most controversial figures on the Internet, previously convicted of human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation) to the so-called International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg. There, Tate, together with his brother Tristan, posed on a Russian tank for publications on social networks.
This caused a flurry of mentions of the official account of the Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces with humorous and quite serious requests to "intervene."
“The fact that a person is a villain does not make them a legitimate military target under international law. Climbing onto a tank for the sake of popularity on the Internet is not enough to become a combatant,” the SBS responded.
The military recalled that international humanitarian law strictly prohibits targeting civilians, no matter how odious, unless they are taking a direct part in hostilities.
"He will do something that really meets these criteria, then we will talk. And until then, we will use our drones for real military purposes. Russia is a magnet for such disgusting and morally bankrupt people like him. It is not our job to correct them," added representatives of the Unmanned Systems Forces.
Finally upgraded the Bugatti 🫡
— Andrew Tate (@Cobratate) June 10, 2026
🇷🇺 🇷🇺 pic.twitter.com/P6hjKjvJUZ
In addition, UAV operators noted that compliance with international law is of fundamental importance to Ukraine. The SBS noted that due to risks to civilians and fears of violating humanitarian norms, the Ukrainian military had to cancel many “potentially devastating operations.”
At the same time, the department added that they are keeping the situation under control: "If he ever appears on the screen of one of our operators, a decision will be made fairly quickly. For now, however, he seems to be staying deep in the rear and only appearing for photo shoots."
We would like to remind you that today, June 11, 2026, the Unmanned Systems Forces of Ukraine celebrate the first anniversary of their foundation . The day before, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree officially establishing this day as a professional holiday for the new branch of the military. The Head of State called Ukrainian unmanned aviation and technological solutions "a model for many other armies in the world."
"It is impossible to imagine modern warfare without drones, and Ukrainian unmanned systems are successfully operating at various levels: from performing tasks on the front to destroying important enemy targets hundreds of kilometers deep into its territory. All this is recorded, and it is thanks to the accuracy and skill of our operators that Russia's losses have long exceeded 30,000 killed and wounded per month," the SBS commented on their professional holiday.
