Border guards disband Kasyanov unit over unconfirmed strikes

The decision to disband the company of strike unmanned systems of the 10th mobile detachment of the State Border Service of Ukraine, created by an aerial reconnaissance specialist, founder of the Matrix-UAV unmanned aviation bureau Yuriy Kasyanov, was made due to the unit’s lack of effectiveness in performing tasks, said the spokesman for the State Border Service of Ukraine Andriy Demchenko.

"To understand the situation. The unit Kasyanov is talking about was introduced into the staff of one of the border detachments in April 2024. The unit’s staff initially consisted of more than 40 servicemen. Several organizational and staff changes were made, as a result of which the unit’s staff was increased to 100 servicemen," the spokesman said in a comment to the Interfax-Ukraine agency.

According to him, during the period of its existence as part of the State Border Service of Ukraine, the unit used 560 units of unmanned systems to destroy enemy targets, the average cost of which is UAH 252,000.

"During 2025, 12 missions were carried out, during which 299 UAVs were used," Demchenko noted, adding that to support the unit, premises were rented, weapons and protective equipment were provided, 11 vehicles (there were three more cars from volunteers), more than six tonnes of fuel (only in 2025), portable and car radios, Starlink, laptops and tablets.

At the same time, as Demchenko emphasized, according to the results of the application, there was never any confirmation of the defeat of specific military and military-industrial facilities of the enemy.

"During interaction with the military command bodies, data on the destruction of certain enemy targets was also not confirmed. I would like to note once again that the decision to disband the unit was caused precisely by the assessment of the tasks performed by the servicemen of this unit. Only Kasyanov himself determined the high efficiency of his unit, but no one else can confirm this either in the ranks of the State Border Service of Ukraine or from other military command bodies," the spokesman for the State Border Service of Ukraine said

Demchenko also added that the personnel will strengthen other combat units of the department, exclusively in their specialty. They will continue to serve in units of reconnaissance and strike unmanned aviation complexes.

On October 3, Kasyanov announced the disbandment of the strike unmanned complex company he created of the 10th mobile detachment of the State Border Service of Ukraine. According to him, the unit was liquidated by the head of the State Border Service of Ukraine, Serhiy Deineko, allegedly on the order of the head of the President’s Office, Andriy Yermak.

He also called on the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, Robert Brovdi, and the Ukrainian Air Force to take the team to him. The commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces wrote on Facebook that the unit’s transfer to the Air Force depends on Kasyanov himself, "on the real capabilities of his aircraft and the readiness of his team to actually work."

On October 5, Kasyanov announced that he would go to Maidan to protest against the disbandment of the unit. Kasyanov said that on October 5 at 6:00 p.m. he would go to Maidan so that "the president could hear him." He also suggested that he could be arrested.