Ukraine launches new points for killing Russians scheme

The images come every day. Thousands of them.

Men and equipment are hunted on the long, contested front lines of Ukraine. Everything was filmed, registered and counted.

And now it is also used, as the Ukrainian military is trying to derive any advantage, which can against its much more powerful opponent.

According to a scheme, which was first tested last year and called the “Army of Drones: Bonus” (also known as “E-points”), the units can earn points for any killed Russian soldier or a destroyed piece of equipment.

And like Killstreak in Call of Duty or the 1970s TV show, points mean prizes.

“The more strategic and large the goal is, the more points gets a department,” said a statement by the Brave 1 team, which brings together government experts and the military.

“For example, the destruction of an enemy system for multiple rocket earns up to 50 points; 40 points are awarded for a destroyed tank and 20 for damaged.”

Call it the gamification of war.

Each uploaded video is now analyzed carefully at KYIV, where the points are awarded according to the constantly developing set of military priorities.

“I think, in the first place, it is about quality data, the mathematics of war and understanding how to use limited resources more efficiently,” says the man behind the e-points scheme, Mihail Fedorov, the Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.

But after three and a half long years of grinding, a comprehensive war, the system has another vital use.

“It’s also about motivation,” Fedorov says. “When we change the point values, we can see how motivation changes.”

Fedorov’s office offers a huge video screen with dozens of live emissions from Ukrainian drones flying on the front lines.

Together, the emissions give a vivid look at the war with drones of Ukraine, in which commanders claim that flying robots now represent approximately 70% of all Russian deaths and injuries.

Since the early days of the full -scale invasion of Russia, social media emissions are full of drones videos, usually set on soundtracks of heavy metal patches.

The tower of a tank burst into a flame ball. A lonely soldier, repelling an attacking drone with a rifle or stick.

This can make a terrible watch. Any video celebrating the death of an opponent. The video becomes blurred when the drone bursts.

But in addition to the feeling of gloomy satisfaction, the hard -to -press front units act in the knowledge that the evidence of their exploits can bring them awards.

The BBC turned to more than a dozen units to understand what soldiers do from the front line of the scheme. The answers were mixed.

“In general, my comrades and I are positive,” said Volodimir, a soldier from the 108th Territorial Defense Brigade. He asked us not to use his last name.

At a time when the front units burn through equipment, especially attacking drones, with a fierce speed, Volododymyr says the circuit of electronic points is useful.

“This is a way to compensate for what we lose … while you are losing the enemy as efficiently as possible.”

The 22nd Mechanized Brigade, which is currently fighting in the northeastern part of the country, was about three months to get used to the new system.

“After learning how it works, it turned out to be a pretty decent system,” said a 22nd soldier with Jack on Callign.

“Our boys are worn and nothing is motivated anymore,” Jack said. “But this system helps. Drones are provided through this program and boys are rewarded. This is a decent motivation.”

But others are less convinced.

“The main question of motivation is not resolved by this,” said a soldier, who only asked to be identified by his Callign, a snake.

“The points will not stop people from running away from the military.”

A soldier who identifies himself as Dimitro sent us a long answer that complained that departments spend too much time trying to claim the hits of the other, or would deliberately attack a Russian vehicle that had already disabled to win more points.

For Dimitri, the whole concept seemed morally doubtful.

“This system is just the result of our distorted mental habit of turning everything into a profit,” Dimitro complained, “even our own damn death.”

But the electronic scheme is characteristic of the way Ukraine fought this war: creative, outside the box, designed to make the most of the country’s innovative skills and minimize the effect of its disadvantage.

Fedorov says that 90-95% of combat units are already involved, providing a steady flow of useful data.

“We started to receive quality information and make decisions based on it,” he says.

“By collecting data, we can propose changes, but the foundation is always a military strategy.”

At an anonymous office block in Kiev, we met some of the analysts whose job is to pour on the frames, check every hit and reward the responsible unit.

We were asked not to reveal location or to use real names.

“We have two categories: strikes and destroyed,” Volodia told us. “So a different amount of electronic points goes into different categories.”

It turns out that the encouragement of a Russian soldier to surrender is worth more points than the murder of one – a prisoner can always be used in future deals for prisoners’ exchanges.

“If for one… killed Russian, you get one point,” Volodia said, “If you shoot it, multiply it by 10.”

The Volodia team analyzes thousands of hits every day.

“The most difficult part is the artillery,” he said, showing us a video of a drone walking expertly through the trees and in the trench, where a pistol is hidden.

“The Russians are very good at hiding and digging.”

With the development of Russia’s tactics and the electronic point system.

The increased use of small, drilling units, on foot or driving of motorcycles means that the value of an individual soldier has risen to a reservoir or other armored vehicle.

“While the murder of an enemy soldier earlier earned 2 points,” the bold statement 1 read: “Now she wins 6.”

And the operators of enemy drones are always more precious than the drones themselves.

The awards system are also being refined.

So far, the units have been able to transform their points into money that many have used, along with the supply of crowds, to buy poorly needed additional equipment.

Now the electronic point system integrates directly into something called The Brave 1 Market, which designers describe as the Amazon for War.

Soldiers can view more than 1,600 products, use their accumulated points, buy items directly from manufacturers and leave feedback, with the Ministry of Defense raising the section afterwards.

Brave 1 Market is designed to sit with traditional, cumbersome military orders instead of replacing it. The hope is that the units will have faster access to preferred objects – from drones to components and unmanned land vehicles (UGV), which can evacuate wounded soldiers from dangerous positions on the front line.

Murder points. Amazon for war. For some ears, everything can sound brutal, even ghostly.

But this is war and Ukraine is determined to hold. Fighting as effectively and efficiently as possible.