Ukraine turned combat into currency: more than 400 units now shop for their own weapons with points earned in battle

More than 400 Ukrainian combat units now shop for their own weapons with points they earn in battle. Together they have ordered over 500,000 drones, ground robots, and other systems through the army's Brave1 Market marketplace, paying with points banked for hitting Russian forces and running other combat missions, Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said.

The setup runs as a loop. A unit completes a combat mission, receives e-points, and picks the hardware it needs off the marketplace. It gives frontline units a direct line to manufacturers and gives the state something harder to come by: a running record of which weapons actually work on which part of the front.

"This model gives units more flexibility on the battlefield, and gives the state real data on how effective different systems are," Fedorov wrote.

That information becomes the basis for scaling up the most effective technologies for the Defense Forces.

Units earn points beyond kills

E-points are awarded not only for hitting Russian targets but also for reconnaissance, logistics, and evacuation missions, a scope wider than the kill-counting of the system's first months in 2025. The point values read like a game: roughly six points for a Russian soldier killed, and up to 50 for a mobile rocket launcher, Fedorov has explained.

The Defense Ministry launched the updated program in August 2025 and tied it to the Brave1 Market. The system has delivered more than 181,000 items to the front this year, with about 95% of drone units enrolled and ordering alongside standard state supply, Fedorov said in April. Top units climb a public leaderboard and reach the best hardware first, with Birds of Madiar topping the rankings.

Marketplace stocks 800 systems

More than 800 Ukrainian-made products are listed for points: drones, ground robotic systems, and electronic warfare equipment. Units choose the specific tools a stretch of front demands rather than waiting on a one-size order from the rear, and can pull in new gear quickly as the fighting on their sector shifts week to week.

DOT-Chain Defence pays and delivers

Units order straight from manufacturers, while DOT-Chain Defense handles payment and delivery. The marketplace channels weapons toward the fight where they matter most: drones now carry out more than 80% of strikes on Russian targets, Zelenskyy said in January, having overtaken artillery as Ukraine's main battlefield killer. The model has drawn imitators abroad, with Washington recently copying Brave1 Market and DOT-Chain Defense to build a near-identical marketplace for the US military.