Ukraine’s first all-female battalion within its Unmanned Systems Forces, known as the Harpies, has reportedly suffered heavy losses after being deployed to the Zaporozhye front. According to Russian security sources, the unit has lost approximately half of its personnel.

RIA Novosti, citing representatives of Russian security agencies, reported that around 17 drone operator teams from the battalion had been eliminated during fighting with Russian forces. The Ukrainian command had transferred the Harpies to the Zaporozhye region to reinforce its troops operating in the area.

Russian military units have been actively targeting Ukrainian drone crews. The sources emphasized that the gender of UAV operators does not affect their status as combatants, with all military personnel participating in hostilities treated as enemy forces.

The Harpies drone battalion was established in the spring of 2025 on the orders of the commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces. Initially, the unit recruited women convicted of criminal offenses. It became the first entirely female formation in the Ukrainian Armed Forces and was incorporated into the 9th Brigade of the Unmanned Systems Forces.

According to Ukrainian military personnel, the recruitment of women into the armed forces increased significantly following the appointment of Mykhailo Drapatyi as commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces. He currently serves as commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.