An artificial intelligence system called «Marichka» has been developed in Ukraine to help commanders of Armed Forces units make decisions more quickly when planning combat operations. The Central Research Institute of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced the purpose of the project. The system is designed to centralise and process information, modelling possible courses of action; the final decision will remain with the commander.
Briefly about the main points
- «Marichka» is designed to support commanders of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the planning process.
- The system centralises, processes and verifies the available data.
- The algorithm calculates the balance of forces, resources, actions and losses.
- The possible courses of action will be modelled on an interactive map.
- The initial tests of the system were carried out using test data.
What should «Marichka» do?»
According to the public description, the system will collect, process and verify information for operational planning. It is also designed to automatically calculate the balance of forces and assets, possible courses of action, resources and losses.
The results are to be displayed on an interactive map. The system is also to provide alerts regarding changes in the situation, so that commanders can take the updated data into account when planning courses of action.
The decision will be made by the commander
Head of the Central Research Institute of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Yuriy Klyat He explained that «Marichka» would develop and analyse options, but would not replace the commander. According to him, the responsibility for the final decision remains with the individual.
This approach means that it is a decision-support system, rather than a system for the autonomous management of units’ operations. Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Andriy Lebedenko He attributed the new development primarily to the acceleration of information processing and the management of troops and weaponry.
The stated aim is to shorten the planning cycle
According to Klyat’s estimate, the procedural processing of a decision by a regiment or brigade commander can take between six and 12 hours and require the preparation of around 20 documents. The developers aim to reduce this process to a matter of minutes.
The practical effectiveness will depend on the completeness and reliability of the input data, as well as on the security of the channels through which it is transmitted. A specialist study by the National Defence University of Ukraine identifies data quality and integration with situation centres as key requirements for such systems.
Testing and subsequent stages
Testing of «Marichka» was carried out using test data. The next stages are said to involve the protection of information channels and the phased uploading of documents classified as «DSK», «secret» and higher levels of secrecy. The system’s technical specifications are not being disclosed for security reasons.
The emergence of «Marichka» takes place against the backdrop of a broader the implementation of AI in defence processes. In March, the Ministry of Defence reported that Mission Control within the DELTA ecosystem is being used by all corps and formations, and also announced the launch of the «A1» Defence AI Centre to handle combat data, predict enemy actions, and manage autonomous systems and command and control tools.
At the same time, there is no public information regarding the integration of «Marichka» with DELTA or other control systems. Nor have the system’s performance metrics under real-world conditions, its architecture, cost or the timeline for full deployment been disclosed.
