The war being waged in Ukraine is like no other before it. For the first time in the history of armed conflict, the lion's share of battlefield losses both human and hardware cannot be attributed to the use of artillery, aviation, armoured forces, long-range missiles or infantry small-arms fire. Instead, bragging rights belong to a capability that, until only recently, was considered a niche military asset, but now appears in myriad forms and sizes and monopolises the battlespace. Warfare's 'most improved player' is, of course, the drone. A firsthand, frontline account of the evolution of unmanned systems during the Russia-Ukraine war, Rise of the Machines charts the technology's rapid ascension through the author's journey from volunteering to fight to advising the Ukrainian High Command on the deployment of drone forces. With the tank humbled and mass mitigated, an overhaul of the way modern militaries fight wars is needed and those unwilling to accept, adopt and adapt to drone warfare are at risk of being left at ground zero. AUTHOR: In March 2022, Illya Sekirin a Ukrainian born, naturalised Canadian volunteered to fight for Ukraine and was trained as a drone operator. In addition to frontline service, he worked as a translator for the Ukrainian General Staff and became an unofficial advisor to several members of the Stavka [Ukrainian High Command], a body chaired by President Volodymyr Zelensky. He advised on multiple operations; on drone strategy and tactics; and authored a paper that informed Zelensky's decision to create Unmanned Systems Forces as a separate branch of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. 16pp colour maps. 14 b/w photos, 60 b/w figures & maps, 3 tables