Two units joined the 9th Drone Brigade

Two units from across the Ukrainian military have recently been integrated into the newly expanded 9th Unmanned Systems Brigade, which forms part of the Unmanned Systems Forces. One of the units previously belonged to the Marines, while the other was part of the Main Intelligence Directorate.

Caucasian Legion joins

On June 20, 2025, the Caucasian Legion announced that they had joined the brigade. The unit predominantly consists of volunteers from the Caucasus region, mainly of Georgian origin. The unit was previously part of the 80th Air Assault Brigade, which they had joined at some point during 2024, and began to transition heavily over to unmanned system platforms, predominantly drones. In February 2025, it became known that the unit had joined the 18th Marine Battalion and had been carrying out combat missions in Donetsk Oblast. The unit was officially welcomed into the brigade on July 12, 2025, by the commander, Lt. Col. Bohdan Harnaha.

Sonechko Battalion joins

According to the Telegram of the brigade, the Sonechko Battalion, previously part of the Tymur Special Unit under the Main Intelligence Directorate, has officially joined the brigade. This was also shown with the commander congratulating the unit on the transfer. The unit has existed since 2014, taking part in many crucial battles throughout the war in Donbas and the full-scale invasion.

It is the first unit of the Main Intelligence Directorate to be officially transferred to another branch of the Army, namely the Unmanned Systems Forces.